Heatherpaw Speaks: A Tale of Lost Friendship
by Ashlight11
Summary: Lionpaw was always in love with Heatherpaw,a slight WindClan she-cat.He hid his phrophecy from her,so why can't the she-cat have secrets?Follow Heatherpaw through this rocky relationship,see the scars as they were born and the darkest thoughts of her own.
1. Chapter 1

**A.N: I'm catching up on a bunch of work I promised everyone a while ago. Summer's coming, that means more time to write. That, and more people asking to get in touch, which maens I'm giving out my page a bunch too. So yes, here is Heatherpaw**

My Eyes glimmered as they looked down at the golden tomcat that sat below me. I knew him so well, his broad shoulders and sparkling amber eyes. But right now, he looked almost serious. In only a few seconds, I will break through his thoughts; we will continue our game in the tunnels. Because everything here in forbidden, against the warrior code. And we want to be doing this. We aren't hurting anyone, ourselves, our clans. Mostly, I even pretend that I don't belong to WindClan when I'm here. Just like he forgets that he belongs to ThunderClan.

"I name you Lionclaw, warrior of DarkClan!"

My voice echoes across the rocks, only the slightly murmuring of water disturbed the silence as Lionpaw stared up at me, where I had managed to climb to the tallest ledge in the cave while they played their game. I was Heatherstar, leader of DarkClan, and Lionpaw –newly named Lion_claw_- was my deputy. We were the two-cat clan of the tunnels, alone.

I leapt off my perch, sailing through the air for a few seconds until my paws touched down on the smooth rock floor. We've only just found this place, but it's perfect for our secret meetings. My paws tremble a bit as I land on all fours, and as I wait for the tremors to stop, I look up into the hole in the ceiling, letting in the moonlight, making us feel closer to StarClan. But once I know that I won't fall if I take a step, I'm leaping forward, halting just in front of my new 'warrior'.

"Congratulations." My voice was soft and coaxing as I touched my nose gently to his. The touch was a soft electric shock, filling me with happiness. I could see Lionpaw's eyes break their serious vigil and light with a spark of the fun tom I knew. And an idea popped into my brain, my eyes narrowed with amusement.

"But first you have to prove yourself a warrior by outrunning me." I was dazzled momentarily be a ray of moonlight, the soft touch was bathing my pale tabby coat in silver. And a full-out smile broke onto my face as Lionpaw looked at me with an annoyed expression, though there was a mocking glint of fun.

"That's not fair WindClan cats are really fast; everyone knows that" He protested, but was already tensing his muscles for a spring.

"If you want to be a DarkClan warrior, you've got to be as fast as me." I teased, shifting my weight backward. He would aim for my back, but I wouldn't be there. It was a move Crowfeather had taught me.

"In that case," Lionpaw lunged, and I backed up, but tripped in a shallow hole made by the river. He caught me, his weight bowling into me as we both fell to the floor. His legs were around me in seconds, softening my fall, but when I tried to get up, he pinned me between his chest and the floor. And it wasn't like I didn't like my position. Through his scruffy fur, I could feel his heartbeat fluttering like a caught bird, desperate for more time together. "You've got to prove you're as strong as me!" He crowed above me, amber eyes sparking with mischief.

"Hey, that's cheating! You didn't warn me!" I mewed indignantly, returning the warmth I found in his gaze.

"The Leader of DarkClan must be prepared for anything." Well in that case…

"Like this?" And in a flash of my tawny pelt, I scrambled out of his grasp, which had become increasingly loose, and swung around him, dancing back and forth on my paws in excitement. Without a hesitative second that might let my ThunderClan friend respond, I grabbed his tail in my teeth, gently, but still digging in enough that he couldn't shake me off.

"Hey!" He yelped, ears flickering back and forth as he tried to deicide between being embarrassed and having fun. He swung a wide gold paw at me, but I dodged as he turned, following his tail in a circle around him. I chuckled through the thick fur as he grasped at the nothingness of the air, and then tried again. He twisted the other way this time, amber eyes glowing as he finally decided this was all a game, and struck out at me with a carefully sheathed paw.

But his change in weight had let me know what he was going to do long before he had. I stumbled the other way, away from the swatting paws. "You look so funny flapping your paws around! Like a fledgling just out of the nest!" I was purring by now, the rumbling of my vocal chords was audible in the tunnels spacious room. Undeniable feeling welled from me as I looked at the tomcat that was my loyal best friend. It didn't matter that we were in two different Clans. It shouldn't matter to the other cats either. But StarClan knew how set in the old ways the elders were. They would hack up _something_ if they knew that we were together.

"I wish you were in ThunderClan" He mewed suddenly, soft warmth radiated around us like an aura, or a cloud of scent. It was everywhere I looked, and I felt the need to lean into him so badly. But my thoughts flashed to the forest. The overhead branches felt like the cages that the elders spoke of back in the forest. They closed in around me, depriving the ground of sunlight, where the shadows would creep forward and gnarled bushes reached out to caress her pelt with their stinging thorns. I couldn't even suppress a shiver as I thought of it.

"Under all those trees and closed in by stone walls? No, thanks! Besides," I looked around, motioning with my tail as I tried to dislodge the vision of the forest from my head, "we don't need to live in the same Clan when we've got this cave all to ourselves." Something attracted my attention as I watched for Lionpaw's reaction. Would he be sad or angry that I wouldn't want to be in a Clan with him? But instead, a tiny imperfection caught my eye, and my paw flashed out without me thinking about it, dabbing at a clinging burr. _He must have got it on his way out of camp_. "Just a burr" I smiled happily, my heart was content with being near Lionpaw. The burr fell with two little skips on the ground, rolling along the stone ground.  
>"Thanks." I could see him thinking as his gaze strayed from me, wandering about the cave, lighting on each of the tunnel entrances.<p>

"I wonder where some of these other tunnels lead?" I wanted his attention again, all gazes on me. With two hops, much like the burr, I leapt the smooth, silent and dark river. And unlike the burr, I landed jauntily, all four paws on the stone. My claws shot out in seconds, steadying me as I stepped forward purposefully. I would not be afraid in front of Lionpaw. Not when we had already been meeting for so long, he couldn't think that I was a mouse. So I scented a tunnel, but repressed the urge to reel backward. The air was dead, still. The moor wind was always moving, and normally had the scent of rabbit, or at least rabbit droppings on it. But not now.

I could hear Lionpaw's paws light down on my side of the river again. His heavier weight made him puff out a small outburst of breath. He came over, and I could sense his whiskers trembling on the side of my head, even while he bravely sniffed the air too. I felt his flank against mine, and a shudder crawled up his back. The dark scent of dead air reminded me of something…

"Do you think one leads into ShadowClan territory?" I wondered out loud. I could almost see Lionpaw become aggressive. What did he have against ShadowClan? WindClan were on the opposite side of the lake from the dark cats. Nursery tales seemed true enough at the Gatherings; the ShadowClan cats kept to themselves, and were hostile to many cats.

"I hope not" Lionpaw murmured, half to himself apparently. But I wanted to figure out why he was so afraid.

"We could explore." I put forward, hoping he didn't see the awing gleam in my eyes. He was so perfect, how could ShadowClan scare him? ThunderClan were neighbors with the illusive cats, there were even rumors that Lionpaw had an aunt in ShadowClan, Brambleclaw's sister.

"There's no hurry." He said louder now, his legs were rigid as he backed away from the dark entrance. But from within the shadows, there were whispers. As Lionpaw backed away, I craned my head forward into the tunnel. What was truly down there? But then I broke free of the spell, shaking my head as if emerging from the river. With a small sigh of relief, I followed him back into the center of the cave. "We have enough fun here." He seemed to be reassuring himself. Oh well. I surged ahead of him, brushing past in my hurry to get back to the starlit hollow of the caves. My pelt spiked with agitation, and I circled along the edge of the tunnel as Lionpaw came back into view. I hoped he didn't see me like this; instead I put on the mask of the mischievous she-cat that I tried to be around him. Then I felt bad. Shouldn't I try to be myself around him?

"There might be all sorts of terrible creatures down there with big teeth and sharp claws-"The whispers in my head had cleared as I left the cave, and I was grateful.

"Shut up!" Lionpaw's ears flickered in that nervous twitch that she knew so well by now. The cave had spooked him. I'll help with that.

"Come on!" My mind grasped onto a different topic, one we were both comfortable with. One that would distract me from the whispering voices that echoed in my ears, which seemed to carry a futuristic warning. "You still have to prove you're a warrior!" I ran toward the river again, putting distance between myself and the cave. I could hear Lionpaw's thundering paw steps following me as I leapt across the river again. And for a second, I glanced down at the surface of the water. But instead of reflecting the stars and the moon above me, there was the ledge I had used to call my imaginary Clan to attention. And on it sat the ugliest, strangest cat I had ever seen. It had no fur, and bulging milky eyes that seemed to have no pupils. Its paws were wrinkled and withered; its frame was smaller than the leanest WindClan cat. And under his paws was a stick, his protruding claws whispered softly over the stripped-white wood. Bbut I knew that figure, and I knew that he'd be waiting for me to be alone again. Looking up again in time to stick the landing, I lunged forward, knowing Lionpaw would come after me soon.

And the sound on his heavy paw steps clamored for a hold behind me, my ears turned backward to listen as my muscles slid smoothly under my pelt, racing for the other side of the cave. But then, a harsh splash echoed across the cave, and I spun around, already knowing that I would see Lionpaw's ginger head, darkened with water to the perfection of the sinking sun over the moors, yet so terrifying. His amber eyes would be huge, his large paws scrabbling for a grip as the current swept him away, into the dark tunnel, away from her. Clearing the vision by blinking, I shook my head as I looked at Lionpaw, his back legs submerged in the dark water. With a quick heft of his shoulders though, he was back on dry land, shaking droplets from his hind legs with an irritated shake.

"Careful" I warned, a gentle tone in my voice as I nudged his head with my own. I could feel his heartbeat, which had quickened with the sudden fear, slowing. "I don't want to lose you." His neck craned and stiffened above me, as he looked up at the portal in the roof. I looked up after a few seconds, withdrawing a little from him.

Above were countless stars in the satin sky, which looked soft from the dark shadows and slight angles characteristic with the night. From here, I could see the dark outline of bushes, even some tree branches, and suddenly wondered where this hole was on the territory above us. But, there, on the eastern edges of night, there was a pink-yellow light streaking across, illuminating clouds and dulling the glimmer of stars.

"We have to go" Lionpaw's mew made me look down at him again; his amber eyes were still cast on the sky. In a heartbeat though, he looked down at me, twin blazing fires meeting my own in the morning rays that crept into the cave, leaving behind the moonlight behind. I let out a breathy sigh. Another hot day on the moor with prickly Clanmates awaited me, when the tunnels were so cool and full of friendship. "Tomorrow night?" Lionpaw meowed, whiskers twitching hopefully. And I hate to put him down, but I had a Clan life to live. So I pulled myself closer, hoping that the large tomcat would understand my absence.

"Can't, I have a training assessment the day after. I don't want to be too tired." The rabbits ran faster than my ThunderClan friend, it took a lot of speed to go after them. Normally, if the cat didn't slip up or fall into some badger hole, then they could catch it after a little while. Clan first, friendship second.

"Okay." He shrugged, though I could detect the little light in the back of his eyes that meant he would miss me, but he understood.

"Bye" I nodded, then sprang away. My paws were silent against the smoothed rock; my claws gripped the rock for a bit of balance. Soon enough, I heard Lionpaw retreating up his tunnel. That's when I stopped. I turned around, facing the spur of rock that we used as the leader's rock. In the fading starlight, there sat a thin, small figure of a cat with wide-set ears and budging, blind white eyes. The one I had seen in the river.

"Rock," I greeted him with an awkward bow, a paw pressed to the ground in front of me as I had seen Tribe cats do. Obviously this cat wasn't Clan or Tribe, but it felt better for me to use the Tribe speak while I was around the elder cat.

"Heatherpaw. This has to stop; I see grave Tellings from your future, dark, very dark." The old tomcat's breath rattled in his throat as he traced a few scratches over the smooth white stick. "That cat you were with…he is caught up in a plan that StarClan themselves cannot fully understand." I reeled back. No way was Lionpaw in some prophecy! That would be crazy! I mean, I knew that Firestar had prophecies about him, and so did Lionpaw's mother, Squirrelflight, and his father, Brambleclaw, had had a message from StarClan to leave the forest, but was it possible for the idea of a prophecy favoring one bloodline?

I turned around to leave, my tail flagging indignantly as I considered this. But the old cat's whispery, croaking voice called for my head to turn, and watch his figure fading in the early morning sun.

"Listen to me, then, if you won't listen to the Tellings. I have seen, from the light on water and the dripping of rain on rock that my ancestors visit you, Heatherpaw. You are special to them. But this is not the cat you will be with. Your paths do intertwine for a short time, but then they separate. You head toward the side of No Stars. Heatherpaw, you must change your fate before your decisions are made, and you are drawn into this war…"

His figure was gone, but the voice echoed in my ears. But I didn't want to hear the moaning of an old spirit cat. Instead, I padded up the tunnel, feeling a pelt brushing against mine. My head snapped to the side, tense, until I recognized the figure.

"Hawk's Shadow, you _scared_ me." I muttered crossly, looking into his ice-blue eyes. But he dipped his head in apologies, his smooth voice filling my head.

"Sorry Heatherpaw. I didn't mean to. What did Rock want to talk about?"

"Honestly Hawk's Shadow, why don't you go ask him yourself? Never mind. I know." But the dark tabby was on a roll now.

"Heatherpaw, you _know_ why. Rock doesn't know that I came back into the tunnels. If he found me here, he would send me away. So I have to hide and wait for you instead. I haven't seen someone down here in such a long time!" His voice became wistful as we neared the mouth of the tunnel. By now I could scent the heather and sage that blocked the entrance to the tunnels.

"Hawk's Shadow, he was talking to me about my destiny again. Really, I can tell you it later. He was just like all the other cats, telling me to stay away from Lionpaw. I'll be back in a few days though; I have a few Clan tests I have to pass to become a Sharpclaw like you." I murmured testily as I wove my way up to the light.

The still, shadowy outline of Hawk's Shadow was down below, just out of reach of the dawn light. "Come back soon!" He called after the tawny she-cat apprentice, who vanished among the stems.

He sat there for a few seconds, and then traced his way back through the caves, white paws making no noise, and his blue eyes staring ahead. As the spirit emerged into the main cave, he saw another spirit waiting for him.

This one was larger, with broad shoulders and a nicked ear. His tabby coat flashed in the morning light, and Hawk's Shadow dipped his head, low, to the older tomcat. But the amber gaze of the large tom slid right over Hawk's Shadow. "Well done, my son. Hawk's Shadow. What a good disguise for you."

"Thank you, Tigerstar." Hawkfrost murmured his tail lashing with a quirk of amusement. "It was easy to fool the WindClan she-cat as a little Ancient One."

"Soon the apprentice will be on our side. A very good plan indeed." Tigerstar growled, so sudden and cold that the actual spirits of the tunnel cats stepped back into the shadows from where they hid, hiding from the Dark Forest cats.

**A.N: You guys seem to like these little tip offs of the story that I do, so I'm telling now, this will be four chapters, that's it. Longer than Ravpenpaw. **

**GO READ GD!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A.N: Hmmm... Heather hasn't joined the Dark Forest though. Why? In a few chapters I'll touch on that again. For this chapter, we see a WindClan reaction**

We were in the caves. Again. Moonlight streamed down through the hole in the roof, where I spotted stars twinkling in the cloudy night above us. The swirling thoughts of Hawk's Shadow and Rock were a bit faded. A lot had happened since I had been here last, and now I paced back and forth, the news that had arrived in my camp that same day was putting me on edge. The quiet sloshing of water in the underground river was ironic compared to the speed of my thoughts, and underneath my fear was an unruly bed of hatred and anger. But I didn't know who to point my emotions at.

There had been another battle that day; my Clanmates had stumbled back into camp, covered in wounds that were swiftly dealt with by the medicine cat. But such an utter phase of defeat that it was, swept the entire clan into a bleak sort of depression. The ThunderClan patrol that had so easily beaten our WindClan numbers was no other then my best golden friend, with his sister and a few of their Clanmates. For that moment, the wave of resentment and biter resolve was sound within me, and in an instant, I knew that I could go in battle against Lionpaw. If he would subdue my Clanmates like this, I could at least return the favor.

Silently smoldering, I had been trying to hold in my fit of rage, which was soon enveloping the mass of cats in the clearing, until Breezepaw padded up to me. There was a knowing and arrogant smile across his grey-black face, the same coloring of his mother, Nightcloud. My claws itched to slash his casual feelings off his smug face, but I bit my tongue, and tensed my muscles methodically instead.

But the black tomcat was testing my patience at that moment, as he crowed about his victory over no other cat than Lionpaw. Well really, it was a defeat that sent Breezepaw scrambling away into the bushes, but the headstrong apprentice made it sound like a victory for WindClan. But as his story wore on, I tried to return to myself, thinking of the friendship that Lionpaw and I had together. Reasonably, I knew that not all the ThunderClan scoundrels were like this. So for the remainder of Breezepaw's story, I swallowed my new resolution, trying to slip back into the black rage that was filling the atmosphere of the hollow now.

But before the smug young cat could continue, Onestar's summoning called us across the clearing.

Onestar was not his usual tawny-brown self, now his fur was ruffled and his pelt was bristling along his haunches and spine. His amber eyes gleamed with malice and his claws dug into the Leader Rock at the head of the clearing. Along his body were gruesome wounds that were freckled with herb pulp and snatches of leaves, an obvious attempt to tend to the leader's wounds, but vain.

"My Clanmates!" His yowl rang among the boulders, and I wondered vaguely if he could sense our anger from where he stood, atop his rock. "We will not be driven away like the time in the forest! ThunderClan is not ShadowClan, and we will not give in. We are stronger now than before" Cries of agreement rose from the crowd, quickly forming under Onestar's promising words.

"WindClan will not hide among the hills like the other Clans think, we are not cowards! And if we have to prove it, we will! We can take on any Clan, our numbers are great, and we are strong! Most of all, we can stand on our own. Alone!"

The Clan roared below, yowling and lashing their tails, most were on their feet by now. Even from the back of the crowd, I could see the gleam of desperation and hope in their faces. That was all we could have right now. But we were still the closest Clan to StarClan's meeting spot. We were special, and didn't the other Clans know that. _Just try to drive us off again!_ I thought mutinously as I yelled along with the Clan, their voices bombarding my ears with noise.

It was a while before the cats calmed down enough for an individual voice to be heard again, and Breezepaw happily jumped back into his story, starting from the beginning again. A few of the cats that had been listening before got up with a groan and walked away. We all knew that Breezepaw was long-winded, but sometimes it was best that way.

"First he jumped on me, those stupid ThunderClan cats. Think they can attack cats like their slow forest prey! He got on my back, but he didn't have a good grip, and I soon took care of him. So I flipped over onto my side, and I could hear the breath go out of him. I squished him into the dirt with a heave, and got up again, spinning around to get a few blows in before the great lump could get up. He took his time too; but he was trying to kick out at me. He looked like a kit there, stuck in a bramble bush! Then he did some fancy move, one I haven't seen before. But that just means he's a little creep, which is where I got these." Proudly, the dark apprentice had been acting out his battle with an imaginary Lionpaw, but when he came to this part of the story, he licked a paw and drew it across the lines on his face, where blood was beading, red and shiny, again.

"Keep going!" The crowd around Breezepaw had grown bigger, and he knew that he had us in his paws. So he took a luxurious stretch and continued, basking in the attention.

"Well," he drawled, examining a paw full of unsheathed claws, an arrogant smile on his face, "Lionpaw seemed to space out, staring off into the battle. A good warrior never gets distracted, so I took it as an advantage instead. So I crept up to him like this," Breezepaw crouched low, creeping forward like a snake, his tail waving back and forth, "and shredded his face! The furball didn't even know what hit him! He was covered in blood afterward, giving me those wide eyes; you know the ones the rabbits get when they know we're gunna get 'em. He tried to jump on me again, but I was ready this time, and dodged. It was so easy; those ThunderClan brutes are so slow!" Breezepaw cackled like a raven before finishing up his story with a dignified air, his nose in the air as he called Lionpaw a cheater.

"It wasn't even a fair fight; he shoved me down the hill! What was I supposed to do after that? The fight was already ended by the time I got to my paws at the bottom." Anger sparked in his eyes, a flame was kindling in their amber depths, so unlike Lionpaw's. How could the same colored eyes possess such different emotions? My ears burned as they flattened, the result of my embracement in my traitorous thoughts. Lionpaw and I were just friends. Just friends.

But still, I couldn't wait for my Clan mates to retire to their dens. The favorite time of my day was when the moon rose, the silver eye of the StarClan cats, bathing the entire landscape in silver light. It was a caressing type of light, so different from the sunlight. That was also the time I could sneak out to go see Lionpaw. And Hawk's Shadow sometimes, too. He was an okay cat, I could tell him anything and he never blamed me. Or he would tell me how to solve my problems, which was really helpful.

I watched, anxiety pricking my paws into restlessness as each of my battered Clan mates retreated to their dens, the rustling leaves announcing where they had gone, and the whispers of the warriors that slept out in the clearing in the warm whether told me they were all still awake. But as the night progressed, I kept my position, right by my friend, Harepaw, until I heard nothing but a few snores and the rustling of sleeping cats. That's when I pulled myself to my feet and padded out the camp entrance, between the two boulders that helped hide my heather-colored pelt. The guard outside was Antpelt, a relatively young and jumpy warrior. I smiled mischeiviously as I tried the same trick when I got Lionpaw out of his camp, throwing a small stone, no issue in the base of the giant rocks that guarded the camp.

Antpelt twitched his ears first until I threw another rock, and he called out a question to a cat he thought was there. When there was no response, he padded over, spine bristling while I held in my laughter as I raced into the swaying grasses.

One of the best things about being WindClan was the feeling of wind running its fingers through my pelt as I glided over the landscape, my eyes penetrating the deepest shadows as my paws moved across the familiar ground.

Finally, I arrived at the tunnels, barely sweating, now warmed up because of my night run, and stepped into the cool darkness. The rock closed around me, and I felt the familiar twinge of primeval unease course through me. But soon it faded as I weaved through the twists and turns of the tunnel, my pelt brushing the sides of the tunnel.

"Heatherpaw, I didn't think you were coming back." A shadow appeared ahead of her, the familiar striped hindquarters of Hawk's Shadow.

"Of course I came back, Hawk's Shadow! I wouldn't leave you down here alone; you're my friend!" I argued quietly, knowing that other cats couldn't see Hawk's Shadow as she did. They would think she was crazy, and her voice bounced around a lot down here.

"Heatherpaw, I have to warn you. Tonight… you'll be faced with a challenge. One that will take all your heart, loyalty and courage to face."

I bristled. Was Hawk's Shadow hinting that there might be someone else in the cave where Lionpaw and I usually met? Could someone be waiting for me down there, in the dark? Am I in danger? But the shadowy cat seemed to be fading, and I bit back a scathing remark on the vague warning.

Instead, I rushed downward now, entering the cave at a skid.

**A.N: Yummy. This warning has a double meaning, Hawkfrost is actually...looking out for Heatherpaw?...unseemly. Fratinizing with the enemy ^^**


	3. Chapter 3

**A.N: Well I found enough time to finish this, it was half finished, sitting in a USB with dust on it from last year... and I had five minutes to spare. So here! It's about the size of the last chapter, small, but plenty action.**

Bursting into the cave, only to slide across the smooth rock, my mind was echoing Hawk's Shadow's words. A slow, creeping dread was encasing me as I stared around, almost blind to the familiar golden shape in the center of the cave, much more real than the shadow cats that haunted my vision. But I took a calming breath as I stared at Lionpaw. We were here, together now. He wouldn't hurt me, and I felt safe with him. I bounded over with a different dread eating away at me, one that had been planted back in camp by the poisonous words of Breezepaw.

My eyes scanned his face for the telltale slashing marks that Breezepaw had told about, it was obvious that Lionpaw hadn't cleaned himself very much yet. The broad-shouldered apprentice seemed to have taken very little damage in fact, but I ignored it, shadowed by the one flaw that caught my eye.

"Your poor ear!" I rushed forward, eyeing the red-brown stain of dried blood on the delicate flesh of his dusty ears. The nick was pretty deep, starting at the side, angled toward the center of the ear and downward before sharply cutting off. It would never heal, and Lionpaw would probably wear it like a trophy if I knew him in anyway.

"It's fine," His half-hearted remark seemed automatic, supposedly assuring. But it only made me worry more without his usual flamboyancy. The effort behind the words was hollow, I could almost hear them dropping like stones through the moment of silence between us.

'_He's probably tired. From the battle and all._' But that didn't explain the almost tangible emotion of regret that hung around him, clinging like dew during the evening.

"What?" My head tipped to the side, I could feel the blood inside kicking up a notch, and my heart beat faster for some reason. How was it possible that my body knew what was coming, but I didn't?

Lionpaw shuffled his paws, eyes indecisive and filled with some emotion I couldn't name… regret? Fear? _'He shouldn't feel afraid around me; I'm his friend!'_ But his amber eyes were following mine, the discomfort was obvious in the twin golden flames.

"We can't meet anymore." He blurted out suddenly, eyes widening with the fear I had seen, glimmering in the background. He watched me closely, looking for a reaction, but I couldn't move.

For a moment I was thrown off balance, Lionpaw's words not truly sinking into my brain. The ground seemed to drop away from under my paws, the one thing that I had always known was there, now gone. The sound of the river behind me gurgled into white noise; my ears didn't seem to be working anymore; all I could heart was the steady thump of my heart beating, the blood rushing through my body.

"What do you mean?" My voice quavered, unsteady. I felt small, almost like I was shrinking under his amber gaze. Now I could identify the emotions I saw there. Even as I stared into them, his twin golden globes, I could see that this was no joke, he was serious and it was hurting him.

'_Good, because it should hurt him! This is cruel!'_

"We just can't" His voice sounded rehearsed, he glanced away with his ears flattening, his tail snaked along the stone behind him.

'_That's no answer!'_

"But we're having fun. Why do we have to stop? We're not hurting anyone." That wasn't true. He was ripping my heart out with every word he spoke. I desperately wanted to wake up, pretend this was all a dream.

'_He's got someone else. Someone in his own Clan.'_ A poisonous whisper cackled in my mind

"I think that you're great, Heatherpaw," He was talking again, even though it felt like I couldn't hear him. The words took forever to digest in my head. I had to focus on his, not the treacherous voice in my head. And as if pulling myself out of the water, I shook my head as if expelling whatever dark thoughts were clogging my mind. "But you need to find someone in your own Clan. I need to be the best warrior I can be, and I can't do that if I'm here every night."

So I was a distraction? Some little thing, expendable in the bigger picture? And he _did_ have another she-cat, didn't he? I stumbled back a step, not wanting to be near him. Blinking quickly, I tried to clam down on the stream of thoughts rushing through my head, so quickly it felt like they were giving me a headache. "It doesn't have to be _every_ night," the voice that came out of me wasn't mine, I was reeling somewhere off, falling off some mental precipice.

"I was looking for you in the battle today. What if you had been in that battle?" He challenged, desperate to make me see his reason, though it wouldn't do any help now. But I was backing up defensively, ears flattening even farther toward my skull. "You could've fought Breezepaw or Harepaw or-" I wanted to continue, but a glint in Lionpaw's eye made me freeze, the words dying on my lips, clogging my throat with unshed tears and unspoken words.

"Battles aren't that simple and you know it! I can't pick and choose. I have to defend my Clan. I can't be worrying about you all the time."

'_Then can't you worry about me some of the time? Right now would be good!'_ The thought flared in my mind like a star, cold and clear. The ferocity of it made my breath catch, and I couldn't seem to remember how to make them expand again. Coughing out a little gasp of pain, I sucked in a lungful of air, closing my eyes against the pain that flared like sudden light. _'He doesn't care,'_ some part of me whispered as I eyed the hard gleam in his amber depths. A splintering feeling made my vision blur with moisture, and the pieces of something broken fell inside me, yet that terrifyingly clear and cold version of myself had taken control, finding my voice, pulling it out of myself in a lick of blue flames, ice-locked. "That's it then?"

"Yes," Somehow he continued to look so determined, so heartbreakingly beautiful, the tom I had once knew… and I wasn't effected by his pain.

How could he dismiss everything we had been? He could be so defiant? He never admitted that he had liked my beyond a friend, was I wrong to assume that? Was I wrong about everything? My world came crashing down all around the fox-dung hearted, cold-eyed figure of Lionpaw, who had stolen my heart, only to return it as a pile of dust. As this new awareness broke through me, I embraced the darker side of myself, the one that was cold, stone-hard and whole still. It was a shield, something to put between myself and anything he could do to me now.

"Fine!" My voice was final, disheartening, so much like Crowfeather that I could hardly believe myself. I had always chided him for being terrible to Breezepaw; but was this how he felt with Nightcloud? I was channeling him to the tips of my whiskers now. "I understand now," the sentence was charged as I felt more than saw the pelt of Hawk's Shadow besides me, his pelt brushing mine as he apologized with his blue eyes. _He_ had never betrayed me, why should he apologize? It was all Lionpaw's fault. Everthing.

I turned my back on him, tail whipping side to side, so close to my body that it whipped the hairs on my haunches to stand, if they weren't already that is. And with that, I could almost see myself, as if outside my body, padding away from the golden tom who held the unfaithful glint in his eyes, an arrogant step in his stride as he played with my heart, then dropped it.

'_You were wrong, Hawk's Shadow.'_ The thought spun with my paws, disappearing as soon as it came, like dust that rose around my legs in the heat of Greenleaf. _'"take all your heart, loyalty and courage to face," you said. Now I have no heart. I realize where my loyalties lie. Where my courage is. And I'm walking back to it. By StarClan, I have been wronged, and I will not lie back, and I will face it._' The mutinous thoughts swirled in my icy heart and burning rage, a truly empowering combination as I vanished into the tunnel's welcoming darkness, feeling the coldness on my back as Lionpaw's gaze left my retreating pelt, and I glanced sideways to Hawk's Shadow. Even though I had not spoken aloud, the tomcat narrowed his eyes in response to my emotion, two electric azul eyes hovering in the darkness that shrouded so many secrets. And he whispered into my mind the most tempting revenges and promises of glory; and as my eyes hardened, locking my heart away in a forbidden place and sharpening my claws as they scraped along the hard floor of the tunnel, I could've mistaken it, but there was a flash of excitement, almost joy in my wraith friend. But I could care less. All I wanted now was my claws to sink into the traitor's pelt, ripping until crimson blood washed my delicate paws. I would not be used again.

**A.N: Plz Reveiw, I felt redudant in this chappy XD**


	4. Chapter 4

**A.N: Well I was really bored this morning, so here's a little (filler) chapter for Heatherpaw. Obviously I had issues because Heatherpaw ate all my little plot bunnies.**

**Heatherpaw: They were hard to catch, be proud.**

**Anyway, I don't own Warriors, Erin Hunter does. Or else I would be making more than 60$ a month.**

The next few days, I felt cut off from my Clan. I was alone, I didn't want to go out with Crowfeather, and even Breezepaw noticed my apparent withdrawal, because he actually made an effort to be kind to me. But I felt like the events of my life would flow over me, like the water washing over and smoothing the stones beneath its waters until I felt nothing anymore. It took those few days until the numbness faded away, and I rejoined my Clan in their normal lives.

I spent time that first morning to watch the sun rise, as I was awake before any of my fellow apprentices. In the cool air of predawn, I stretched and padded out of my den, sitting on the dew-laden grass to watch the horizon turn from black-blue to gold and then white as the sun slowly rose over the landscape. Behind me, I could hear the sleepy purrs and the low mews of my Clanmates beginning to awaken. Up on the Watcher's Rock, Owlwhisker leapt down and vanished behind the wall of gorse, reappearing seconds later in the shadowy tunnel between two boulders. He passed me with a small nod before heading into the Warrior's Den, wading through the cats that had chosen to sleep outside the night before to head for their den. _'Guess if he'll be sleeping until Sunhigh, he might not want the apprentices poking around.'_ I chuckled at the little joke, the first one for many moons, and sensed the Clan stir around me.

Nightcloud emerged from the shadows, her amber eyes were the only things that gave her away in the long shade cast by the strengthening light. She cast one look behind her, where the familiar smoky figure of my mentor had appeared. The two of them never got along well, even though the Clan thought of them as mates. I wasn't one to make assumptions, but Crowfeather just wanted to be a loyal warrior to his Clan. He couldn't do that while his own cats doubted him. On that level, I could relate to him.

"Heatherpaw!" Breezepaw called, bouncing over with an uncharacteristically bright look in his eyes, his tail stood as tall as a heather-stalk over his back.

"Hi," I greeted calmly, and then my eyes narrowed a bit, and my voice filled with mock-wariness. "Seeing you this happy can only mean one thing…"

There was a swish of his tail in warning before the dark grey tomcat leapt at me. We tussled for seconds before I slid out of his grasp, standing a few paces away to look at him with humor. Breezepaw stood and shook the dust from his short pelt, not at all bothered by the earth. "Battle training, first thing in the morning!" He finished for me, whiskers twitching.

"I should've known, there's only one thing that can make you act like a kit this early." I joked, lifting a paw to clean it before drawing it over my ear. "Normally you act like someone left a thistle in your nest, and you lumber about like a dog until sunhigh!"

"I do not!" Breezepaw hissed, but his ears were pricked with amusement.

"If you two are quite finished…" Whitetail muttered, her tail-tip twitching with annoyance as she trod across the clearing, clearly unaffected by her joyful apprentice's mood. "Breezepaw, are you going to wait for the ThunderClan cats to come and lay at your paws?" I hid a snicker as Breezepaw flicked one ear back, and with a burst of bad emotion, he grumbled out a goodbye to me and stalked away through the shadowy entrance after Whitetail. I didn't blame him for his change of heart- Whitetail was good mentor, until she was grumpy, that was.

"Breezepaw had better watch himself this morning." The dry comment made me spin around to look up at my own mentor, who watched his son disappear through the tunnel. There was no flicker of emotion in his eyes, and it puzzled me for a second. Shouldn't a father care about his kin? But the thought was whisked away as he bounded past me, calling over his shoulder for me to follow him. With a good mental shove, I pushed away any thoughts of Lionpaw that had been creeping up on me, and dedicated myself to training with Crowfeather.

But as the morning progressed, the sun climbing higher in the sky, it was apparent that I was not myself that day. When I stalked rabbits, the sunlight glinted off their white tails, creating the illusion of golden fur. Nothing could stop me from hunting one down after it had crossed my sights; there was fury in my blood that let me chase them all the way across the hills. If my mentor noticed, he said nothing. I did catch a sidewise glance at me as I returned with two rabbits, my neck aching with the strain of their cooling bodies.

Really, it wasn't until battle training that my aggression became apparent to anyone who was training with us. It was unfortunate that Weaselfur had to inform Crowfeather, who was working with Kestrelpaw with his defensive moves. My mentor's smoking blue eyes sought me out after sending Weaselfur and Kestrelpaw back to camp together after examining a stinging scratch mark I had left on the young tom's shoulder.

"Heatherpaw, what is wrong with you today?" His voice was dark, and I wondered how I hadn't noticed him slip into one of his moods.

"Nothing" I scuffled my paws in the packed stems of barley that our training field was in. Normally it would help to teach us to keep our paws clear of anything growing, good for fighting in the undergrowth of our new neighbors, ThunderClan and the odd terrain of the Horseplace. Now it just gave me something to sink my claws into as Crowfeather lectured me, painstakingly slowly, on how to fight with my claws sheathed.

"I'm not a kit!" I finally snapped, whipping my head up to look him straight in the eyes. I was immediately embarrassed though, as I would've never spoken that sharply to him on a regular basis.

My mentor's eyes flashed bright with a surge of anger before he could quell it. "If you continue to act like a fox without his tail, I'll make sure you get the job of a kit for the next moon." His voice was even colder than his icy eyes, and I shrunk back, finding myself apologizing quickly. When I looked back up though, it was apparent he was calmer. "Heatherpaw, you never act like this. What happened?" When I stayed silent for a few more heartbeats, he spoke again. "You can tell me, Heatherpaw."

I considered telling him about Lionpaw, about the way his golden eyes still ripped into me, and I avoided the borders just so I didn't even tempt myself. I knew his scent; I knew his eyes, his body. There was no way I would let myself get ripped up all over again every time I wanted to protect my Clan. But hadn't Crowfeather had the same experience? He had run off with Leafpool, the ThunderClan medicine cat. Surely that meant that he had loved her? That he had known her, maybe not to the degree that she knew Lionpaw, but farther, more intimate? It had him shunned from the Clan, no one trusted him and he was still trying to recover from it now. Could I stand that?

"It's just those stupid ThunderClanners." I spat suddenly, deciding to sit at the crosspaths, and tell a half-truth. "They walk around like they're StarClan's gift to the Clans, and think they're all high and mighty over anyone." I turned my face away, hoping Crowfeather didn't see the pain my own words were causing me. There was silence between us for a few moments, and I wondered if he could see through my ruse. Embarrassment flashed, hot under my pelt as I realized that I was still thinking of my golden tomcat, and banished him from my mind.

"Well that's something we can all agree on." His voice startled me into looking up. He could say that? So utterly and completely sure that it is true, when he had been willing to give up his life for a she-cat of the Clan they were discussing? The empty look in his eyes said it all: he no longer thought that way about her. Even if he did, Crowfeather knew that he could never go back."Just don't take it out on Weaselfur, go wait at the border for a wet-earred apprentice to run over the border again. His casual tone diffused the emotions stockpiling within me.

"Think they'd let me? Or just stand there preaching about how much better they are?" the dark humor slipped into my voice without a conscious decision.

"Oh yes," my mentor snorted, pushing himself to his paws and flicking his tail toward the tall heather stalks. "You'd easily be able to take them on; they're as slow as badgers." His comment made me laugh, and I leapt through the honey-colored plants, the world looking brighter.

We spent the afternoon hunting instead of fighting, making jokes about the other Clans and generally lightening the mood. By the end of the day, the lurking thoughts of Lionpaw and the reactions he now caused in me were mostly gone. In a few more days of integrating back in with my Clanmates, I felt my thoughts had settled enough. I would recover from this, and I'd be okay. But I'd never go near the tomcat that broke my heart again.

All this changed when two ThunderClan cats walked into camp days later. Our entire Clan was on edge, and the warriors told me to go wait in the apprentice den with my friend, Harepaw, and one complaining Breezepaw. We all knew that it would be best, so that Breezepaw didn't set either Clan off. The dark tom snorted when Harepaw told him our theory, and we just giggled at the boasting that commenced afterward.

Harepaw looked out at the ThunderClan cats, and muttered quietly, "What's wrong with that cat's apprentice? He's staring straight ahead." This comment caused an icy trickle of water to trickle down my spine. Lionpaw didn't speak about his siblings much, but having a brother that was blind and the reluctant medicine cat apprentice was a little important.

I explained to my friend quietly about Jaypaw's disability, knowing that his ears were as sharp as his eyes were blind.

Onestar broke into the bushes around camp in a flurry of pawsteps, demanding to know why there were enemy cats in camp. With the arrival of their leader, the whole Clan tensed. No we had everyone, we were a threatening weapon that could deal serious injury, and the ThunerClan cats only had to put one paw wrong.

"Does Firestar still think there's some kind of special relationship between our Clans? Because there isn't!"

"Firestar understands that."

The conversation faded in and out, I was too busy watching Crowfeather. He, in turn, watched the ThunderClan medicine cat with an intensity that obviously made her uncomfortable. The tension between then was like lightening, thickening the air and waiting for a spark. As much as my mentor was focused on Leafpool, I was staring at Jaypaw. He looked nothing like Lionpaw, who had thick shoulders and already-well-toned muscles. This cat standing in my camp was slight, with a bony frame and grey tabby coat that hung off his frame, making him look even smaller.

Yowls rose from my Clanmates suddenly, and I joined in absent-mindedly while my mind spun around and around. Crowfeather had stepped closer to Leafpool, but his fur was bristling along his spine, and his chest was thrust out in a way that wasn't meek. Only a sharp word from Onestar could pull him away, sending him stalking into the ranks of our warriors along the edges of camp.

The conversation continued in a low tone, like thunder rumbling in the distance. I didn't even listening, and instead, watched Harepaw, who was obviously enraptured in the words being flung around. Suddenly a screech broke the silence, and fear-scent invaded the apprentice den. Were we waging a battle? Right here?

Gorsetail broke in through the camp entrance, her normally well-groomed fur in a ragged array. Her eyes were wild with fear, and instantly, all of the cats were bristling, staring at the queen expectantly. She regained her breath in seconds, and let out a wail that sent shivers through my fur.

"My kits are gone!"

**A.N: Yes, this is going to continue all the way to _that_ part, if anyone has guessed yet. Heatherpaw has to go back to the tunnels! Oh noz! And everyone knows who's going to be there! Hawk's Shadow!**

**Oh. You said Lionpaw? Well, he's there too. **

**Might put out the last chatper tomorrow, we're almost done people!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A.N: I promised I'd update next week! Just... not GD obviously. I'm so close to finishing now ^^ I think I have one or two more chapters, then focus on GD and its long chapters XD**

The Clan immediately leapt into action, forgetting our visitors and crowding around the lamenting queen as she broke down in the clearing. As I pushed my way out of the den, fighting into the crowd of cats, Crowfeather pulled me aside. "Be gentle with her," he murmured, as fear and desperation flickered in his eyes. "Don't ask her too many questions; leave that to the other queens." I nodded silently, and stopped trying to push through the mob of my Clanmates.

'_My kits…My kits…'_ A memory burst into my mind as I stood there, trying to crane my neck to see Gorsetail. The three of them, Thistlekit, Sedgekit and Swallowkit, had followed me to the tunnels when I had gone to meet Lionpaw one of the times. '_They never saw me go inside it…They couldn't have gone back there'_ I attempted to console myself while the sound seemed to fade from my ears, and all I can see is the blazing stars.

'_I padded along the hill, feeling the ground slope away beneath my paws. Below me was a field of boulders, nestled between the roll of one bluff and the next, which hid a secret that could tear my Clan to pieces. All around me, the swaying heather was sparse, and instead, this part of the territory was covered in prickly long grasses, gorse and thorn bushes. I stand for a second, gazing off into the black velvet sky, letting my senses open up to the night overall. Wind pushes through my whiskers, I can almost hear the sound of Hawk's Shadow calling me from the tunnel opening below, hidden in the shadow of one of the boulders. _

_Upon detecting nothing but the whispers of my friend, I clambered down the ravine, attempting not to kick up too much dust and pebbles to alert any animals of my approach. I reached the bottom with a grunt, leaping down the last few tail-lengths. My breath was a bit labored, but nothing I couldn't live with. _

"_Hawk's Shadow?" I gazed into the absolute darkness, whiskers flared outward to alert me to the slightest touch of my friend's spirit. Instead, I heard nothing. "Hawk's Shadow, where are you? You were calling me…"_

_A giggle broke the silence. I started away from the hole in the ground, gazing upward. That wasn't Hawk's Shadow's voice!_

_At the top of the ravine, I could just make out a black silhouette of a cat. _

"_H-hello?"_

_There was no response. With my heart dropping into my stomach, I leapt up the steep slope, and with each step, the outline of the cat was growing smaller… and wider? I reached the crest, and was assailed with the sight of three kits, staring at me with wide eyes._

"_Swallowkit! Thistlekit! Sedgekit!" I tried hard to keep my voice neutral as I stared with horror at the three tiny cats that now threatened my meetings._

"_Why were you talking to a hole?" Sedgekit giggled, and a smirk broke out across Thistlekit's face. "You looked funny." Swallowkit was silent, eyes wide._

_My heart nearly stopped. They had seen the tunnel. They had seen the tunnel! I-I-I… "Here's a better question," my voice was light and playful, "Why are you out of camp? And it's dark out here. Did Gorsetail give you permission to run around the territory at night?" This distracted the kits, and they looked at each other, Sedgekit scuffled her paws against the sandy ground. _

_I suddenly remembered we were on the brink of a drop, hard for even me to climb. If one of them slipped and fell… "Come away from there, let's get you back to camp before your mother notices." They trudged after me, tails drooping. _

"_You're going to tell Gorsetail, aren't you?" I opened my mouth, and then closed it. If I told Gorsetail, I'd need to tell her where I found the kits as well. That could end up tricky. "No, I won't if she didn't notice." I smiled at the little kits, and Swallowkit's tail stuck straight up, Thistlekit's eyes glowed brightly with happiness. "Thanks!" Sedgekit squealed.'_

I had brought them back to camp, but did they remember? Would they come after me again, even when I checked my trail, from then on, much more carefully? Dread settled like a cold stone in my stomach and I stared around at my Clanmates. They didn't know. They couldn't know, not ever. They would only want to use it to hurt ThunderClan. And I didn't think I could bring myself to harm an entire Clan, just for revenge on Lionpaw. That was wrong.

But I had to check.

"You can tell Firestar that it's too late. You've wasted your time trying to protect RiverClan. We'll attack at once!"

'_A battle! But my Clanmates… they could get hurt!' _I struggled between horror and excitement as the Clan roared their support. What if the kits really were in the tunnels? Then, the battle would be worth nothing, and my Clan would get hurt. The ThunderClanners blinked their eyes wide as they looked at the raging Clan in front of them.

"A real battle!" Breezepaw ran up next to me, his eyes alight with excitement. He turned his attention to me, amber eyes glowing. _'So much like Lionpaw's…'_ "Quick, attack me!" I sat there, staring at him, ears slowly folding backward.

Breezepaw snorted. "No Heatherpaw, you're supposed to jump at me. I need to be ready to slice some RiverClan whiskers off" he grinned, more teeth than warmth in the action.

"Breezepaw, what if the kits weren't taken by RiverClan?" I blurted out, and immediately wish I hadn't. The dark tomcat stared at me, his eyes narrowing slowly as he got what I meant.

"Well that would mean that we wouldn't need to battle RiverClan. Why do you say that?"

"Because… because they followed me a few nights ago. Out into the territory." I blustered, my pelt flashing with heat as I hoped my fear-scent didn't alert him to my lie.

"Where were you going?" The question was innocent, but as I hesitated to tell him, Breezepaw's eyes flashed. He suspected something was up. "You weren't _meeting_ anyone, were you?" his tone deepened to a disgusted growl.

"Of course not," I shot back, teeth bared. "I wouldn't break the warrior code. I was out night hunting. I can show you where, the warriors don't go there much."

Breezepaw nodded, his outward demeanor blank now. I didn't know if he realized I was lying to him, or if he saw through me. "Let's go then, we're wasting time." His tone was flat as well.

Together, we pushed our way out of the crowd of our Clanmates, slipping out of the camp and into the grasses.

The dark sky was thick and fluffy with clouds, the beige stalks of foliage barring the view above our heads as the two of us pushed through the overgrown area. Warriors almost never came to this edge of the territory, down by the lake where the land got slightly craggy. For the older cats, it was a reminiscence of the Great Journey and all they had lost there. For the younger cats, it was just dark and foreboding, though some of the daring 'paws would dare each other to hunt among the scraggly bushes, even though there wasn't much prey.

"Where exactly is this place again?" Breezepaw's mew made a fresh wave of fear swamp me, and I took a breath, ready to reveal the secret of the tunnels. There was no way around it, there was no scent to follow, and I desperately needed a Clanmate with me. But could I really give up Lionpaws' and my secret? Right now, it was the place of my misguided dreams still, where a bright gold tomcat waited for me, to play in our imagination, DarkClan.

If Breezepaw saw my hesitation, he didn't comment. "They're these tunnels I found a while ago," I started, and then jumped as thunder rumbled in the sky above. Was StarClan angry with me? "I thought that it might just be a rabbit hole, and it was pretty big so I was going to go down it-"

"Hare brain!" Breezepaw buffeted me in the shoulder, "You know our mentors don't want us going down there. Bad things always seem to happen when cats go underground."

I nodded in agreement, but a prickling of my fur had started along my spine. I could only press harder into the peaty ground below me, and hoped the wind smoothed my revealing fur.

We approached the crest of the next hill, and the ground beneath my paws gave way to gravel and pebbles. I skidded to a halt and stared down the ravine, scrubs dotting a boulder-covered hollow. The ground was covered in broken shale from one of the steeper edges, which ended in a stony cliff, and seemed to shed rock to the ground below.  
>"We're here!" I shouted, wind whistling through my ears as I turned to the dark cat, his eyes gleamed gold in a black face, his fur ruffled out as the wind switched directions and fluffed his coat out. "You sure?" Breezepaw looked down into the ravine, resigned to leap down the rocky slope.<br>"Positive." I meowed, and then progressed to start picking my way down the slope. _'I just hope we won't find them at the bottom here. If they fell…' _I banished the thought from my mind. I didn't have time to doubt, I needed to find those three kits!

The scattered stones rolled to a stop around me as I straightened from my tensed position. Each muscle had strained and tensed while I picked my way down the hill, ready for the ground to give way or for my foot to catch, sending me rolling or falling to the bottom. A clatter of rock gave away Breezepaw's presence, and after looking over my shoulder at the tomcat, I wove my way into the undergrowth.

Branches scratched and pulled at my coat, I could hear Breezepaw's quiet cursing behind me as I ducked beneath a long thorn stem.

"How much farther?" He complained after a few bends. Without bothering to reply, I straightened up and stared at the black, gaping hole at my paws. "Oh." He muttered as he drew up beside me, "That's it? I expected it to be… smaller? Grassier?" my Clanmate poked his nose in the direction of the tunnel, taking in a tentative sniff of the cold, dank air. "And you're sure the kits could've gone down here?" He questioned, voice faltering just a little as he padded forward now, trying to peer down into the murky darkness.

"Yea," my mew was small, and when the black apprentice stepped to the side, I took the lead, splaying my whiskers out all the way, and approaching the tunnel entrance. The darkness spooked me too, but I was almost used to it by now. In my head, I traced the route we would need to follow to get to the main cavern. With one more calming breath, I squared my shoulders and took a step into the shadows.

"Heatherpaw!" A voice shocked me so badly that I was frozen, ears flickering wildly back and forth. "It's me!"

A sigh of relief bubbled from me as I spotted the blurry apparition of my friend, Hawk's Shadow. His icy blue eyes cut through the dark, and his brown tabby pelt blended in with the shadows.

I bounded forward, entering the tunnel as he flicked his tail for me to follow.

"Hawk's Shadow." I purred quietly, listening at the same time for the footsteps of Breezepaw, "It's been a while. I'm sorry I left you down here all alo-"

"No time for that now, Heatherpaw." The ghostly figure turned its head to stare at me. "I saw the kits come down here. I know where they are."

**A.N: that's a crappy ending to a chapter, I know. But what do you think Hawk's Shadow -coughHawkfrostcough- wants to do with Heatherpaw and Breezepaw? I may be able to update this again next week...again.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A.n: Aha, I am so sorry, you may crucify (sp?)me now. I've had band and tennis, so I guess that's an excuse XD But Im sitting on my butt most of today, and I want to chug out a couple of chapters of HS. I lost my notebook though, so there may be a few things that either don't make sense or don't match up with before so...Sorry!**

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't own any of these cats, except for the idea of Hawk's Shadow (Which I hope you all figured out who that really is by now ;)) It all belongs to the Erins, who fell down dramtically in a crash and burn in the last book. I would not of crashed, I would've made a epic firework show of amazing gore and blood. And decreased the population of cats by a bit over half. ^.^**

I jumped forward, following the skinny shape of my friend down into the darkness, my paws touching on the cool stone and flying down the path.

"H-heatherpaw!" Breezepaw's startled voice was echoing down the stone tunnel, the sound boucing and reflecting off the walls that had been worn to smoothness. "How can you see where you're going?" A faint scuffle barely registered in my mind. "Hey, wait up!" His clumsy paws kicked up pebbles, sending them rolling down besides me.

When I almost slid down the floor after stepping on one of the stray stones, I skidded to a halt and glanced over my shoulder at the near-invisible dark tom. "Breezepaw, hurry up." I called anxiously, and I could hear his snort as he picked his way down the gently sloping tunnel behind me. I dug my claws into the smooth rock, and listened to them scrape across the untouched surface, wondering how long it had been since someone-other than me- had been down into the tunnels. How long had Hawk's Shadow been alone for? Guilt rushed over me as I thought of the lack of interest I had given the former cat, and I peered into the gloom ahead to try to catch sight of his icy eyes or his dark tabby pelt.

I thought I saw a flash of his white belly when a whiskered muzzle prodded me from behind. "If you're going to lead, lead. I mean, you were scrambling down so quickly before…" Breezepaw had attempted to sound impatient, but I could hear his shortened breaths rasping, each jagged intake coupled with his fear-scent.

"Sorry, I thought I smelled them." I apologized, lying smoothly to cover my quick pursuit of my guide. Walking forward again, I figured that Hawk's Shadow was probably farther down the tunnel, and I only needed to get to the main cave to find him again. If not, Breezepaw and I could deal without him. We would have to, if we were to save the Clan some bloodshed.

"Do you still smell them?" Breezepaw asked, shifting his weight from side to side, brushing his fur across each of the tunnel walls so he always knew where the walls were. To prove his point, he sniffed loudly, the dank air whispering into his nose and back out.

"Just a little. You probably couldn't smell it," I covered up quickly, and took in a breath quietly again, pretending to smell something. "Yeah, that might be them. I can't be sure though." I muttered the last part softly. If we didn't find the kits… I didn't want my story to be questioned. My Clanmates could never find out about what Lionpaw and I had.

'_Hawk's Shadow?' _I hoped that the shadowy cat would hear my plea and return, but all I could see was the endless darkness of the tunnels.

Winding down through the passages, I could hear the roaring of water far before I could see it.

"What's that?" Breezepaw muttered, fur bristling. I wanted so much to tell him that it was just the river, but he didn't know that I had been down here before. "I don't know," I made my voice waver to match his.

Stepping out into the cavern, I couldn't believe the wave of homesickness- not for WindClan, but for the time I had with Lionpaw- that washed over me. The stars were hidden by dark clouds through the hole in the ceiling, and so the river that washed by below was as deep and dark as the lake. The current seemed faster, and the water, higher, but I didn't really notice. It was just water after all, and I had to find the kits.

"Wow," Breezepaw's voice ruffled my ear fur, and I twitched my whispers, feeling the sensitive edges scrape over the fur on his face. I didn't turn to look at him though, but while he was caught up in the mystery of this underground place, I was trying hard not to let the sadness in my heart show on my face.

A chance glimmer of moonlight seeped into the cave, lighting it up and illuminating a very familiar shape. I gasped as I saw him, though Breezepaw was unfazed. A figure stood up on the ledge I had used to play as leader, and their eyes swept the whole cavern from the vantage point.

'_Hawk's Shadow!'_ I smiled, attempting to contact the spirit without alerting my Clanmate to his presence. '_I thought you had left us!' _

The dark tabby tom turned his blue eyes to me, a bright flash of color between the ghost of his dark tabby pelt and the smooth rock that was slightly visible through his body.

"I will never leave you, Heatherpaw."He smiled, and I shivered for some reason. My fur spiked up, and I couldn't stop a shiver that ran down my back. Why would I feel this way about my friend? "I will be with you forever." His white teeth glimmered as he leapt down to greet me.

Feeling slightly uneasy at my strange reaction, I dismissed it as the fear of being caught by Breezepaw. Hawk's Shadow leapt across the river with the grace that only a cat skilled with the tunnels could achieve. He brushed past Breezepaw, who had taken a few steps down, into the slight bowl that was the floor of the cavern, who shivered and fluffed his dark grey fur. I smiled in amusement; it was a game that Hawk's Shadow enjoyed playing with the living, as we could barely sense his presence. When he got close enough, I brushed my head along the side of his face and down to his neck, feeling a phantom touch of fur as he laid his head on mine, much like I imagined that Onestar would do when he made me a warrior.

'_You said you knew where the kits are?'_ I didn't bother whispering, the sounds bounced off the rocks easily, and Hawk's Shadow and I had no problem communicating this way.

"Yes, here, I'll show you." Hawk's Shadow looked troubled though, and he slipped away from my side on hesitant paws. Leaping back across the river, he padded to a tunnel that was a little wider than a cat, one that I would've mistaken as a fissure in the rock. "I can sense that they came this way… but the scent is fading quickly. Hurry Heatherpaw." The apparition urged before vanishing down the thin passage.

I turned to the other tomcat, who was casting for scents at the edge of each tunnel. "Breezepaw, I-"

Before I could continue, there was a whisper, and the slightest hint of a familiar scent.

"What is it Heatherpaw?" His amber eyes cut to me quickly, a distraction from attempting to probe the dark shadows just inside each branch. '_Should I tell him? What would he suspect?' _"Nothing." I finished lamely, and slipped down from the slight rise that held the tunnel back to the moors.

"-too dark to see…"

"…cave ahead…"

"…probably know already."

The whispered persisted, and I didn't even bother attempting to look for the source of the sound. Lionpaw and I had played that game; it was nearly impossible to find the origin of anything in this huge, echoing chamber.

A rustle of fur did make me spin around though, and the soft call of "Heatherpaw" made my ears prick up to attention. I couldn't tell if it came from the soft outline of Hawk's Shadow at the entrance he wanted us to take, or the familiar golden tomcat that stood in the shadows.

"I've lost their scent," Breezepaw murmured behind me, but I was a little distracted by the appearance of the other cats.

I couldn't help but admire his broad shoulders and fierce eyes, even though they were dark with sadness. He stood in front of his two littermates, the black she-cat who looked around inquisitively, and Jaypaw, the ungrateful medicine cat apprentice. Already he had moved between his siblings and me, as if I was the threat. Which, according to how he had chosen, was exactly what he thought.

"Lionpaw!" I hated the way my voice peaked with excitement, and hoped the other cats took it as surprise. I hadn't really thought of seeing him down here again… this was a WindClan rescue, ThunderClan wasn't part of this at all.

Which is apparently what Breezepaw thought. He spun around, a snarl already lifting his muzzle from the passive tomcat he had been a minute ago, when he was alone with me.

"H-how did you know about this place?" I glanced at Breezepaw to make sure he wouldn't attack the ThunderClanners, and my heart plummeted as I thought of having to choose sides between Lionpaw and my Clanmate. The only way to avoid conflict… was to pretend that I had never seen him here. It ripped at something inside me to behave like we were nothing more than cats from rival Clans, but no one could know.

I could see the hurt flash in his eyes too, probably a mirror of my own. "I found it a few days ago by accident, I was chasing a rabbit and it led me down a hole and I ended up here." The other two cats with him crept out, Jaypaw staring vacantly at the river, the only source of constant noise. A shot of fear bolted up my spine and made my fur fluff. What if he fell in? The water was too fast for any cat to swim, and he would be swept away by the current and into the hole where the water disappeared, farther into the underground. '_I will not let that happen.'_ I vowed quickly, taking a few steps forward as Breezepaw looked at the intruders with a shrewd intelligence.

"These tunnels lead into ThunderClan territory as well?" His pelt was bristling, but with excitement, not fear. His eyes were dark with battle lust. I sighed quietly, and attempted to repress the sound after it already had escaped my lips. All Breezepaw ever thought about was attacking other Clans and battles. It wasn't that he wanted to kill other cats-the Warrior Code said not to- but I could see that he wanted to be admired by the Clan. Crowfeather was always so distant and snappy, and Breezepaw only wanted his attention. He'd told me once after a training session with our mentors, and it was one rare time that I had seen another side of Breezepaw.

I hadn't realized that Lionpaw and Breezepaw were looking at me, and I feigned confusion quickly. "I didn't realize. I've only been as far as this cave before." I made my eyes wide, and had to repress the sudden urge to laugh. This reminded me of all those times in the nursery when Harepaw and I had pretended not to know where the heather for the bedding had gone. Of course, we were two little troublemakers, and hid it all behind the apprentice den.

"…did you know there was another entrance in WindClan territory?" Breezepaw challenged as I paid attention again.

"It was just a guess," Lionpaw rolled his massive shoulders, but the action held no emotion. It was more of a threat than a shrug. "There are so many tunnels. They might lead to ShadowClan territory as far as I know."

There was a silence that hung thickly in the air while the two tomcats stared each other down. My tail twitched nervously when Breezepaw finally broke the heavy silence. "Is there any scent of the kits in your tunnel?"

"no," th black she-cat stepped up, her voice cool and controlled.

"We followed the trail here, but it's disappeared," I burst out, ignoring the reprimanding glare from Breezepaw. If the ThunderClan cats were here, they could help. But as I shared a glance with Lionpaw, I knew that this would be harder than anything we had done yet.

**Ugh, it was getting too long so I had to cut it off. I'm so sorry D: Im working on the next part right now. **

**R&Rs make my day 8D**


	7. Chapter 7

**A.n: I told you I would post two chapters ^.^ This one is a big explanation to why Heatherpaw still hates Lionpaw to this day... and more hints to who Hawk's Shadow is if no one's guessed yet (I'd love to see the guesses in reviews)**

**I don't own any of the Warrior cats, minus the idea of Hawk's Shadow, who is currently mine. The Erins own it, and I don't get any profit, just happiness from writing this XD**

Jaypaw had moved closer to the river, and my muscled tensed. My overwhelming fear that the small grey tabby would be sucked away by the roiling black water was telling me to grab his scruff and pull him away from the edge. But I reminded myself that Jaypaw was the farthest cat from an incompetent fool, and only watched as he sniffed the edge of the river, where mist rolled off in waves, covering the sides of the bank with minute water puddles. "Is the water always this high?"

The question caught me off guard, and my tail swept side to side as I looked at the river. I had _thought_ that it looked too full… "Only after it's been raining." I mewed quietly. Was he afraid of getting swept away too?

"Does it get higher?"

Jaypaw was a confusing cat. '_Why does he want to know about the height of the river?' _"I don't think so." My head fell to the side as I watched the tabby tom. What was he thinking of?

"These intruders might as well go home," Breezepaw's voice had a dark undertone. I rolled my eyes silently as I looked at his prickling grey fur. '_Stupid tom. Pride issues.'_ "We're looking for the kits. There's no need for them to help." I couldn't agree more, it wasn't ThunderClan's issue but…

"There's going to be a battle over them, or haven't you heard?" The she-cat snapped, and I attempted to drudge her name out of my memory. Berrypaw? Nah

"Can we stop chatting and get on with the search?" I snapped, frustrated between the lack of things getting done, and the fact that I couldn't pull up Lionpaws' sisters' name.

Breezepaw turned around to look at me, his eyes sharp with distrust. "What about them?"

I needed a reason, quickly. _We would search faster and…_ "We may as well let them come with us, how are we going to carry three kits by ourselves?" My flippant tone made him prickle, and I knew that I would get an earful later, but until then, it seemed like I had convinced Breezepaw to let the ThunderClan siblings come with us. Without waiting for an answer, I headed in the direction Hawk's Shadow had been pointing out to me, attempting to be subtle. "We have to find those kits before any of our Clanmates get hurt." I knew Breezepaw would let them come if it helped the Clan.

Mews of agreement sounded from the ThunderClan side of the river as the three of them crossed. I sniffed the stagnant air daintly, knowing well enough that there was no scent to catch. A rustle of fur beside me and I turned discreetly to catch a glimpse of Hawk's Shadow. But instead, a dark pair of amber eyes caught mine and a soft voice whispered, "You better know what you're doing. We need to _hurry_." And with that, Breezepaw moved away to sniff the entrance to another tunnel. Though the words he said were harsh, I plunged back into the reality that three kits' lives were on the line.

"They haven't been this way," I ducked out of the tunnel and moved along, heading toward the narrow cleft that Hawk's Shadow had disappeared through. '_Hurry Heatherpaw'_ the words echoed in my head. Lionpaw attempted to approach me, but I turned my back and moved away.

Looking at the narrow tunnel again, I was surprised to see Jaypaw standing in front of it, whiskers splayed and ears pricked. "This way!" the grey tabby suddenly shouted, tail snaking from side to side in excitement. A stab of jealous made my pelt hot. _I_ had been the one that knew which tunnel the kits were in. How did Jaypaw know?

I stalked over with the other cats, but the black she-cat got there first. _Leafpaw?No…_ "He's right!" The cat mewed, peering at the ground. "There's a paw print."

Lionpaw was hot on his sister's heels, and glanced down at the tiny sign. "They went this way," he confirmed, and looked up at me, now standing just behind Jaypaw, with a moping Breezepaw by my side.

"Oh Lionpaw, what have we done?" I whispered so quietly that it was lost in the gurgle of the stream. The ThunderClan cat shook his head in sad astonishment. We had no clue what we had started when we first met each other in the tunnels.

"I'll go first," Jaypaw said quickly, and then looked surprised, as if he hadn't expected the words to come out of his mouth. Breezepaw, who had been working his way past me in order to take the lead a recover some dignity, froze. Then he snorted angrily, spitting out a few words. "You're blind!"

"And you can see perfectly well in the dark, I suppose!" _Hazelpaw? No… _I glanced between Jaypaw's stern face and the she-cat's sarcastic one and thought; _you can see the family resemblance._ I snorted along with my Clanmate. Breezepaw couldn't reply to the taunt though, and so, he backed away. I could tell from the look he shot the black cat that she would be at the receiving end of his claws before the rescue was over.

Lionpaw moved out of the way so his little brother could pass, and Jaypaw squeezed into the crack in the rock. The other cats filed in after him, and Breezepaw barged to be right on Jaypaw's tail. It had been as I expected, with the tunnel barely wide enough for one cat to walk one behind each other. The darkness was so complete that it made my fur tingle as I attempted not to think of how much rock and dirt were over our heads. My tail reached up to slide along the ceiling of the tunnel, which didn't make me feel any calmer.

"Can't you go any faster?" Breezepaw's edged mew sounded from near the front of the line, but it broke the oppressive silence, which was all that I needed to keep my sanity from scurrying away. There was no difference between keeping my eyes open or shut, and the fur on my flanks brushed again the smoothed rock walls.

Another unlimited time in the dark when Jaypaw spoke out again. "_I'm _leading, Breezepaw!"

"What are you talking about? I'm back here!" I could tell from Breezepaw's mew and the fear-scent that drifted behind him that he was more afraid than he was letting on. I wasn't one to talk, because I also was leaving a wave of my own rank scent along the rock behind me.

"Surprise," A sudden voice whispered behind me, and I attempted to turn around, though my ears brushed each wall quickly, and I couldn't bend all the way around.

"Hawk's Shadow?" I breathed, risking some words as the pawsteps ahead of me faded away.

"Heatherpaw, I know why Jaypaw was asking about the water," he whispered cautiously, even though his voice didn't carry at all.

"Why? It makes no sense. We don't come here in the rain because the rock is slippery and it's too easy to track us through the mud." I whisper, moping that the tunnel doesn't split anytime soon. _But then Hawk's Shadow could guide me to them…_

"He thinks that it will flood the cavern." Hawk's Shadows' eyes glinted with knowledge. "If he can grab the kits and return to ThunderClan, they can be the heroes of this battle. Haven't you looked at the way that Hollypaw and Lionpaw have looked at Breezepaw and you?"

I shook my head slightly. The two tomcats had definitely been tense around each other… but was Lionpaw really capable of planning… "Would he do that to me?" I mewed, stepping away into the ghost of Hawk's Shadow, away from the direction the other cats had been going.

"Think about it, Heatherpaw," Hawk's Shadow whispered sadly, "He chose his Clan over you. Wouldn't bringing the kits back be a way of protecting his Clan? And to leave you two down in the tunnels… Well he has everything against Breezepaw, and you broke his heart."

I shook my head, flattening my ears. "But what are you saying he'd do? Try and kill me?" My voice was growing louder, a disembodied wail that succumbed to the darkness and faded away.

"Wouldn't it be easier for both of you to be separated? As far away as possible? I know that your heart is breaking every time you are together… don't you think he feels the same? And to have to choose between you and his Clan would kill him." Hawk's Shadow wound his tail over my shoulders. "Wouldn't it just be easier for one of you to be… removed? He would feel guilty for a few seasons, but you and Breezepaw would have vanished. Your bodies may turn up, wherever the river eventually spills out, but who knows where that would be. No one would know what he's done…"

"Hawk's Shadow… what should I do?" Breezepaw was my only friend now… and he was far ahead with the three ThunderClanners… the ones that wanted to murder him!

"You can't let them know that I've told you what they're up to." He hissed urgently, attempting as best he could to push her forward. "You need to get the kits, and get out. As quickly as you can. Don't let them take them away from you."

"Lionpaw…" I choked, crouching on the floor like a small kit. How could he…? Would he…?

"You know where his true loyalties lie now, Heatherpaw. You have to protect your own Clan at all costs. And your kits above all." Hawk's Shadow growled.

I shook my head, wishing for the ice that had encased my heart just a few sunrises ago. Now I was a mess, something that I didn't know if I could pull back together. "I don't know if I can." I whimpered, rising to my feet though.

"Your Clan Heatherpaw, think about them. Harepaw and Breezepaw… Onestar and Crowfeather and Whitetail…Gorsetail is looking for her kits right now. You have to be strong for them. That's what being in a Clan is all about." The dark tabby hushed me quietly, and somehow brushed up alongside me in the narrow passage. "For me, Heatherpaw."

I looked up into his icy blue eyes, with the dark tabby stripes and the soft glow of his white chest. Yes, I would do it for Hawk's Shadow. He saved my life, and I would repay him. Forcing the sorrow out of my chest, I burned it away with the righteous anger of the ancient cats before me; the leopard's speed to chase down the prey, the tiger's strength to defend it, and the lion's warmth to nourish them.

"Hurry Heatherpaw."

It was all I need to spur me on, as my claws scraped the rock below me and I raced ahead into the darkness, I could feel Hawk's Shadow run with me, telling me when to dodge and duck, leading me to my destiny.

**A.n: Ohz noz o.o Heatherpaw is being mislead! So close to being finished! Just a couple more chapters now XD**

**To start with, I had thought this would only be three chapters XD I was so wrong.**

**R&Rs make my day!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A.n: Oh yea, three updates in two days 8D Getting toward the end now ^.^ I love this chapter, even though Hawk's Shadow's ideas are a bit strange... and very hard to actually come up with something plausible. Sorry xP**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Warriors series, and I only take pleasure from writing this Fanfiction. By now, we all know what I'd do with the Warriors series if I really owned it ;)**

I raced down the tunnel until I reached the rest of the cats, following their fear scents until I was right on top of them. Narrowly avoiding a collision with Lionpaw's hindquarters, I let my breathing slow silently, narrowing my eyes to focus on where I was sure Lionpaw's pelt was. Aided by his voice, I could shift back onto my hindquarters and glare through the darkness, painfully aware that Breezepaw was blocked from me through Hollypaw's and Lionpaw's bodies. _'Hollypaw.'_ The name that Hawk's Shadow had muttered could have only belonged to the black she-cat.

Rain streamed through a hole in the tunnel ceiling, letting the tempting scent of heather and moorland drift down into the bare stone passage. The rock was slippery under my paws as the rain trickled downhill, probably to gather in the low dips of the tunnel.

"Which way now?" I breathed, squirming into the slightly larger intersection that the other cats were in. I shied away from the ThunderClan pelts, attempting to keep a snarl of disgust off my muzzle.

"There are three tunnels." Lionpaw was calling to Jaypaw, far in front of him. I tried to squirm over to Breezepaw, his dark pelt identifying him. Only when I drew up Hollypaw's scent did I realize my mistake.

"How do you know we're going the right way?" My Clanmate mewed. I could smell the fear scent of each cat in the small space, but mine was not the fear of the dark. '_Breezepaw!' _The grey tomcat was attempting to push forward into the tunnel that Jaypaw was sniffing, and then followed him closely in. "I can smell them," Jaypaw meowed confidently, leading them down an even smaller branch of the maze.

I had a sinking feeling that it was a dead end, even before the boulder loomed out of the darkness ahead of Jaypaw. "I knew it was a dead end," I stopped, ready to flee. I hadn't managed to get to Breezepaw, and the solid block of fur behind me was Lionpaw. I shivered with fear. '_He wouldn't attack me here, would he?' _But I couldn't see what was stopping the rival tomcat.

"We'll never get past that," Breezepaw confirmed my fears. Jaypaw didn't respond, and Breezepaw's annoyed mew sounded again in the darkness, accompanied only by the drip of rainwater pooling on the stones. The floor of the tunnel was wet already, and my claws shot out to grip the ground carefully. "Now what? Do you think you could lead us back? Or did you just bring us here to show us this boulder? Let me guess, it's a special StarClan rock, and it's going to tell us where the kits are." His voice was sharp, both with anger and fear.

I couldn't help but yelp quietly, "Shut up!" If the ThunderClan cats were planning to kill us… Why hurry them? I needed time to plan how to get us out, unharmed.

"Why?" He spun as well as he could in the passage, fixing me with a yellow glare. I attempted to show him the fear that I felt for him, communicating only with my eyes. _If Only I could talk to him like Hawk's Shadow! _"We're lost underground! Do you want me to thank him?"

"Shh!" Hollypaw hissed, and I could hear the hiss of her claws come out. My heartbeat thudded loudly with the terror that I tried to keep in, and the only hope that I could find is that we were both strong fighters. If it really came down to a fight, we may be able to get away. _The kits…_ I would never be able to forgive myself if I lost the kits in these tunnels, the ones that I led them to.

"I'll say what I like!" He aimed at me, and then his eyes flickered over to Hollypaw. "Just because he's your brother-"

"I can hear something!"

"What is it?"

The ThunderClan siblings hushed as the sound came again, a soft mewl, barely louder than the pitter patter of the rain, which was growing steadily louder.

"Anyone there?" Jaypaw called, his head tilted back as if he could see over the boulder. The sound grew louder in response, and Lionpaw's pelt prickled behind me. "I think I can climb over it!" The golden tom pushed roughly past me, threading his way through the procession of cats in the tunnel. After a few seconds, the sound of claws scraping stone could be heard, and the splash of Lionpaw landing in the puddles on the other side of the boulder. "They're here!" His happy mew meant so many things to my ears, could I sense a edge of anticipation in it as well?

Breezepaw leapt the offending stone next, pushing Jaypaw aside. I could hardly see, but Hollypaw slipped ahead of her brother, whispering for him to stay before leaping over. I followed last, impatience making my paws shift over and over. As soon as I passed over though, I fell on the kits with the passion that a queen might. I had to get them out of these tunnels, away from these cats! "Thank StarClan we found you!"

One of the kits, a small tabby that I recognized as Sedgekit, voiced his thoughts joyfully. "We couldn't climb back over!" His sister, Swallowkit added her own thoughts, big eyes shining up at me in the half-light. "We thought we were stuck forever!"

"We'll take you home," Breezepaw reassured him calmly, and for once, his amber eyes were soft with positive emotions.

"Go on, Swallowkit," I picked up the little she-kit and pushed her halfway up the rock. When I was sure she had a purchase, I let go and nosed her upward and over. Once I heard the resounding splash on the other side, I turned back to Sedgekit, though Breezepaw had beaten me to it. "Your turn Sedgekit." I nosed the tom kit over quietly, and turned back to Breezepaw for the last kit, little Thistlekit.

"Oh no," Breezepaw's eyes were glowing in the dark, and he gazed down at the small shape of the youngest kit.

"Take her over, quickly. Jaypaw will help her." I urged, and cast a glance at Hollypaw and Lionpaw, who stood like silent sentinels farther down the passage. Their eyes also glowed, and I could barely make out the shape of their bodies. Just the thought of my enemies being so well hidden gave me a shiver of dread. Not only Thistlekit, but _all _our lives were in danger if we stayed down here with the ThunderClan cats."Breezepaw… we need to get out of here." I whispered close to his ear as he picked up Thistlekit. I pointed subtly to the two shadowy cats, and Breezepaw met my gaze, finally figuring out the message I had been trying to send him. Without a word, he leapt over the boulder, leaving me with the other two cats.

"Heatherpaw…" Lionpaw attempted to start, with a glance over his shoulder at Hollypaw. He stepped toward me, and I backed away, feeling my tail brush the boulder. Without a word, I leapt over the boulder after my Clanmate and kits.

"Is she okay?" I addressed Jaypaw. The medicine cat wasn't cold enough to reject a kit in need, was he?

"Help Breezepaw warm the other two!" The grey tabby's bright blue eyes glanced straight at me, making me shiver. I spotted my Clanmate, licking Swallowkit with a bright pink tongue. I drew my tongue up Sedgekit, and blanched at the taste of stone and mud on my tongue. Apprasing the little kit more thoroughly, I saw that she was covered in mud, and it wasn't from the moorlands… The stone beneath my paws were covered in it as well.

"We're hungry!" Sedgekit mewed with an authority that made me choke on a purr of laughter despite the situation. Pushing the little kit into the fur of my flank, I silenced his voice gently. "It serves you right for wandering off," I chastised, and thought of the battle that these three kits had caused made the giddiness in me dry up like the streambed in Greenleaf.

It seemed like Breezepaw was having the same issues with his own kit, as Swallowkit murmured "Do you know the way out?"

"Of course we do, we found our way in, didn't we?" His voice was far too confident for how he felt, but the need to keep the kits calm outweighed everything else. "Getting out will be even easier." A small smile curved his muzzle as he licked the kit again, and I felt a little spark in me. He was always a big soft mossball around the kits, and even now, in the face of danger, the tomcat could put aside how he felt to help Swallowkit.

The ThunderClan kits had wrapped themselves around Thistlekit, who was now awake. A sigh of relief escaped me, and I ignored Lionpaw's questioning look that I could feel burning into my pelt from where he stood.

"You're from ThunderClan," the little kit mewed in surprise, a look of caution shadowing even her young face.

"We've been helping your Clanmates to find you," Hollypaw purred gently, her black fur blending into the stone and slowly warming the chilled, soaked kit.

"You've caused a lot of trouble," Breezepaw's growl carried to all three of the kits, just so that they knew that they weren't free just yet. I myself had some choice words for the kits before we got them back to camp.

"We can worry about that once we're out." Lionpaw's deep voice resonated through the tunnel in a commanding way.

A sound pounded through the tunnels after the echoes of Lionpaw's voice had faded, and I spun around to face the darkness, bristling. Sedgekit was still at my side, and I held him there with my tail as Hollypaw commented, "The rain is getting harder,"

"That's not rain," Lionpaw started slowly, ears swiveling carefully on his head. "It's coming from inside the tunnels."

His voice held so must sincerity that I knew he was right, and gathered Sedgekit to my side even closer. In my head, I could see the rain pouring into the river from the hole in the ceiling that normally revealed the stars in the night. The river was bursting, raging, a snarling beast with no way to control its fury. The smooth floors in the tunnels made so much more sense now, worn down not only by the paws of ages, but the sloping, endless current of water. _And to be trapped in the tunnels with the water…_ I could too easily imagine the current battering me on all sides, kicking upward but finding no air, only more water as darkness clouded over my eyes… The age-old fear of dying raced through my veins, adding a jolt of adrenaline to whatever already swamped my body.

Pulling myself out of the dark thoughts, I saw Lionpaw reach down and pluck Swallowkit up in his jaws. My body started for Sedgekit before he had even muttered, "Breezepaw, Heatherpaw, take the other two." These were _my _Clans' kits, and I would _not_ let them die down here.

"I'll lead," Jaypaw mewed, and burst forward, disappearing into the darkness without another word. Lionpaw sprinted past as I dug my claws into the shifting silt and leapt after him with furious energy. Sedgekit bumped along the ground against my best efforts as I squirmed through the tunnels after Jaypaw, and their cries of fear and pain made me flinch even more. "Nearly there!" His reassuring mew came from farther ahead than I would have liked, but with Breezepaw hot on my tail, I hared after the sound of Jaypaw's voice through the darkness. Water splashed away from my paws, and I lifted Sedgekit even higher.

Exploding into the cave again, I immediately saw that the river was bursting with water, the surrounding stone was misted and dark with moisture. Lionpaw had come out ahead of me, and immediately shouted, "Take Swallowkit!" to Jaypaw.

"What's he doing?" Hollypaw yowled to Jaypaw as she burst into the room as well. I bit back a yowl as I watched Lionpaw leap into the air, paws stretched in front of him as if jumping down a cliff. But instead, he jumped into the sucking black waters of the engorged river.

"Lionpaw!" Jaypaw screamed, dropping Swallowkit and scrabbling over the slippery surface toward the river. "Can you see him?" Jaypaw's desperate voice could barely be heard over the roar of the river.

"He's swimming!" I wasn't sure whether it was Hollypaw or I who said the words, but it was definitely Breezepaw's voice that murmured, "He's crazy!"

"I'm okay!" The golden tom's head appeared, fur flattened with water on the other side of the river and his muscles heaved as he pulled himself out. I cursed the relief that flooded my body, and instead mewed, "How are we going to get the kits across?" It was a stupid, apprentice move to jump into the river and put his life at risk.

"He's testing the water." Hawk's Shadow appeared by my side, and his breath stirred my whiskers. "Don't go near the edge."

"There's no point! The tunnel's blocked!" Panic ran through his voice. "The rain has washed soil into the entrance. There's too much mud to dig through."

"The ThunderClan kitty doesn't like it when his plan goes array," Hawk's Shadow grimaced.

"You did this?" I muttered quietly, head down. Sedgekit glanced at me, and I smiled gently back at her.

"I had to save you, Heatherpaw," Hawk's Shadow mewed gently.

"What about our tunnel?" I called, spinning around to watch Breezepaw skid across the wet stone. "Blocked too! Boulders have fallen from the roof! It's like a waterfall in here. We'd never get the kits up it!"

"I had to save you, Heatherpaw," Hawk's Shadow repeated, and his eyes glinted in a way I hadn't seen before. "The ThunderClan cats couldn't take you from me. They would have drowned you in river… and let your body float away. But if you died… here, in these tunnels… I could take you with me."

I stared at Hawk's Shadow, and he smiled slowly. Another apparition was forming at his shoulder, with a long, shaggy coat and a nick in its ear. A pale scar was slashed across its nose, and long black stripes ran across a brown body like the rivulets that dripped from the ceiling. But the most prominent thing was the overlarge, ivory claws that disappeared into the ground, and the familiar amber eyes that haunted bedtime stories.

"Hello Heatherpaw," Tigerstar murmured, but it shook me like thunder. I shook my head and looked back to Lionpaw. My vocal cords constricted and I choked, but somehow managed to get one screech out. "We have to try!"

Or else we were trapped in these tunnels… Even if we died.

**A.n: Ugh, slightly Anti-climatic. Probably a bit more than confusing. Im so sorry. It'll all be over soon... and questions are welcome in the meantime XD**

**R&R? 3**


	9. Chapter 9

"I don't think there's enough space at the top to get through," Breezepaw argued, "If a kit got swept down over the rocks, it might die!" I could understand that the fiery grey tomcat was afraid, but he didn't understand the real threat in the situation.

"Oh Heatherpaw, there's nothing to fear." Tigerstar purred quietly, and I took one glance at the large tomcat before quivering.

"Heatherpaw, this is Tiger Strikes." Hawk's Shadow said, dipping his head.

"N-no, this is Tigerstar." I mewed almost silently, fear making my voice very hoarse.

"Are you sure? Heatherpaw, this is Tiger Strikes. He was my mentor when I lived by the lake."

I blanched, looking at Hawk's Shadow. _You've never really seen Tigerstar, you've only heard the nursery stories… and Hawk's Shadow is your friend. _

"I don't agree with Hawk's Shadow, Heatherpaw." The new tomcat glared at the seemingly younger version of himself. "To serve your Clan, you must serve it with every breath in your body. There is another way out, but Hawk's Shadow is too afraid for you."

The white-chested ghost looked away, down at the floor while the cats around me yowled and scattered.

"He is afraid because the only way out is through the river. The exact way the ThunderClan cats were going to kill you."

I nodded slowly… fearing the black water myself. "T-they wouldn't kill the kits though…. Right?"

Tiger Strikes shook his broad head slowly. "We can't see the future, Heatherpaw. Only what they planned to do when they walked in these tunnels. They fear an attack by your Clan, the kits that these three apprentices bring back could be used as hostages. You've already seen how they've prepared for battle, and are all too ready to attack your Clan." His thick tail draped over my shoulders like a haze, and I could almost feel it. "What if Lionpaw was the one that led the kits down here?"

"How would he do that?" I meowed. The guilt of revealing the tunnels to the kits laid heavily on my mind.

"How _did _he do that." Hawk's Shadow gently corrected her.

"Heatherpaw, haven't you noticed that you are always the first to leave after your little meetings? He watched and waited… and then, one day, he went through the tunnels, into your territory. He got close to your camp, he found your kits wandering, and he led them to the tunnels." The silky tone of Tiger Strikes was so convincing. "He had everything to find them again; Jaypaw sniffed them out within heartbeats, yes?"

I had been wondering how the grey tabby had found the scent so quickly, when I had needed Hawk's Shadow to guide me…

"But imagine his surprise when he found you and Breeezepaw? He couldn't risk the kits getting away. It was ThunderClan's perfect idea, a perfect way to control your Clan. And it was easy enough! The apprentices thought it up for StarClan's sake."

The kits… WindClan would never risk the future of their kits. ThunderClan said they didn't want war… and this was their way of stopping it? They wouldn't need to fight at all…

"Of course, once they found you, Lionpaw knew that he couldn't keep you around. Instead, he quickly planned how to get rid of you, without leaving marks or evidence. He would push you and Breezepaw into the river, letting the current pull you away." Tiger Strikes' eyes were dark with sadness. I couldn't doubt the sentiment that seemed to pour from the elderly tom, and could only nod mutely. Everything made such dreadful sense now.

Hawk's Shadow pushed his nose into her cheek. "I couldn't let that happen to you, Heatherpaw. You're my best friend!"

I returned the gesture to Hawk's Shadow, my heart shaken with grief. The merciless ThunderClan cats… they planned to use the kits as prisoners! "I have to get the kits out," I muttered, my voice stronger than my body felt.

"Heatherpaw, the tunnels are filling. You will survive, but you must act quickly," Tiger Strikes mewed, his deep voice edged with a taunt note. "You must find this exit for yourself though; Hawk's Shadow and I never had the chance to. We perished in the cave, but you, you will live."

Hawk's Shadow smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes. I couldn't blame him, and instead, knew that he had wanted the help that he was supporting me with at the moment he had died in the raging waters himself.

"Thinking won't move boulders!" I turned to the other cats, attempting to act panicked once more. I stared around the cave, at Breezepaw, who was still attempting to get up the blocked tunnels. "We're trapped!" I clarified, in case the three siblings had had any other ideas.

"We could wait till the cave floods and swim up to the hole in the roof," Hollypaw suggested. _What a great idea, wait for us to drown._ I glanced up to the hole in the ceiling, as if to judge the size.

"It's too small to escape through," Breezepaw said for me, glaring at the black she-cat with insolence. Only I spotted the glance toward me, and I nodded again.

"And the kits might drown!" I added for a good measure. The ThunderClan cats wouldn't hesitate to push us into the water and watch us drown first. But the moment the kits were in danger… their bargaining chip.

"We'll have to swim!" Jaypaw shouted from his place beside the river. I nearly growled, flattening my ears to my head involuntarily at the suggestion. The ThunderClan cats were just _desperate_ to get Breezepaw and I into the water.

"Swim where?" Lionpaw spluttered from the other side of the river, his pelt still drenched with the rainwater dripping from the ceiling, and the flume from the river that was still steadily rising.

"The river runs to the lake, it'll carry us there!" Jaypaw glanced in the direction of his brother, his bright blue eyes unfocused and cloudy. His voice was sharp with fear and anger, and he switched his gaze to the dark hole that the equally murky water disappeared into.

"But it disappears underground!" Breezepaw's fur was standing on end as he stared after the water as well, his claws leaving notches in the stone below them.

"It comes out in the lake!" Jaypaw's voice echoed through the cavern as he patted the water again, the spray turning his fur dark and damp.

"We're not RiverClan. We can't swim!" I screeched, making my standing obvious. There was no way I was going near the water!

The three siblings drew close to each other, Lionpaw touching Jaypaw on the shoulder with his tail. Breezepaw stalked closer to make sure he wasn't left out, but hissed out a retort to whatever Hollypaw had just said.

"If we don't do something, we're all going to drown!"

"Let's try it!" Hollypaw looked a little too eager as the kits let out their complaints too. Lionpaw attempted to console them, but their complaints only got louder. He showed the kits how to padedle through the water, while my thoughts turned bitter. _If he's going to kill me, I'm going to make him feel guilty for it. _

"I'm scared," I sauntered up to Lionpaw's side, rubbing alongside his flanks like I had when we had been seeing each other only a few sunrises earlier.

"It's going to be okay, our time together will be something I remember even when I'm with StarClan." _Oh, how romantic. It's more like when _I _meet StarClan. _His pelt was pressing into mine, the cold fur giving off anything but warmth. The stench of ThunderClan was cloying, and almost made me gag._ Two can play at that game._

"There will be no borders between us there," It sounded so much like a goodbye, like he didn't think that I knew what was coming, that I trembled in anger. It was a lucky break when Jaypaw screeched, "We have to go!"

"Line up on the edge of the river," Hollypaw mewed, taking charge. She waited until each of the cats had lined up, the kits cowering behind me. I couldn't blame them, as one of the only two cats from their actual Clan, they probably felt safer with me. "Lionpaw, you take Sedgekit, I'll take Thistlekit, Breezepaw take Swallowkit."

Fear flashed across my pelt. I didn't have a kit. Hawk's Shadow had warned me that that made me expendable. "What can I do?" My last attempt at saving my own life was out now.

"Hold on to my tail, we'll help each other." Jaypaw muttered, and I agreed quickly. I grasped the edge of his striped tail in my mouth gently, but firmly enough not to let him go when we hit the water.

"I'm not going!" Swallowkit turned and pressed herself to the ground, speeding away on her long WindClan legs. Breezepaw caught up to her in a second, one stride equaling a few of the little kit's. "Don't worry, Swallowkit," he mewed, bringing the little cat close and pushing her into the fur at his chest, "I won't let you go. There's no way I'm going to let you drown."

His eyes met mine over the head of the little she-kit, amber eyes wide with fear. I understood what he was thinking and a burst of protectiveness- over Breezepaw and the three kits that looked at the water with giant eyes. They would make it, even if I didn't ThunderClan as a whole would pay for these three apprentices' stupid ideas.

"Heatherpaw," A soft voice said just behind me. Without turning, I knew that it was Hawk's Shadow, and Tiger Strikes couldn't be far behind him. "This is where we say goodbye."

I nodded sadly. I knew that this would come sometime, but I was hoping that it would be later rather than sooner.

"I'll miss you Heatherpaw, I won't forget you, but you can't come back here after this. I'm sorry." Hawk's Shadow sounded depressed, although now he had Tiger Strikes to accompany him in the tunnels.

"You're doing the right thing, Heatherpaw," The larger tom murmured into the fur in my ear, making me shiver. "I'm proud that Hawk's Shadow and you had become such good friends. This river will lead you to the lake; make sure you get the kits home as soon as possible." I nodded silently, gripping Jaypaw's tail again. He was beginning to wade into the shallows of the river, and when it reached his stomach, it reached my paws. I could feel the current growing stronger and stronger as I waded in deeper, and the tomcat in front of me, clinging to the shelf of rock below his paws so the water didn't pull him away.

"Ready?" Lionpaw's mew was almost intelligible over the rushing of water.

"Yes!" Hollypaw muttered around her kit.

"Jump!" Jaypaw mewed, and hurled himself into the dark water. I hesitated a bit, and felt Jaypaw's tail tug in my mouth.

"Go," Tiger Strikes muttered,

"And save your Clan" Hawk's Shadow mewed.

Jaypaw was being pulled away by the water, and I hurled myself in towards him, moving my paws like I was running across the moors. The water closed over my head quickly, silently, and everything became bubbly and distorted. Kicking up, my short fur made it easier for me to rise. I tilted my muzzle up to find the air, and caught a breath, just before the light of the cave vanished. Behind me, as we tumbled through the water, I spotted the two toms that I knew, and saved my life, turn to smoke and fade into the darkness.

**AN: BORED. Sorry, the end will be annoyingly Canon, but whatever. There'll be a chapter afterward that I think everyone will find... interesting xD **

**No one ever wondered why Heatherpaw was so hateful, but never got ot the Dark Forest? I shall show you the way ^.^**


	10. Chapter 10

**A.N: The second to last chapter guys! And the last chapter where I have to quote the book! I know I'm spotty on the disclaimers, but hey, here's another one. Enjoy ^.^**

**I do not own any of hte characters in this series, nor (most) of the dialogue.**

Shadows and water sloshed around, blinding me and filling my ears and mouth when I tried to call out. Jaypaw's tail quickly flew out of my grip and disappeared into the darkness. I kicked up as white spots flicked across my vision, and my whiskers broke the surface first, then the rest of my fur was hit with a cold breeze. A breath whooshed into my lungs and I kicked against the current to stay afloat again. It worked for a time, until I felt my fur dragging me down, and the rock pressing against the soft fur of my ears. Terror washed over my head that had been as clear and cold as the water I was spinning in before the rock ceiling steeply angled down until I could barely press my nose against the small pocket of air between the hungry waters that threw my body against more stone. Deciding to take one last breath before the tunnel closed around me, I inhaled sharply through my nose and dove forward into the darkness.

Water rushed alongside me, fur dragging me down as I tried to pull myself forward. It didn't work well, as I felt my head scrape along the ceiling, and a sudden current bashed me straight against the wall. Bright air bubbles erupted from my nose and mouth as I gasped. Water rushed in before I could close it, and I felt a pressure in my head begin growing. A throbbing started somewhere near the back of my skull and my lungs seized and danced inside my chest. Darkness was pressing in on my vision, but more than that, the silence pressed in on my ears. Everything sounded distorted, through there was nothing but the occasional slap of water where the stream curved and separated from the ceiling. On each of these turns, I was buffeted against the outside wall and I could feel the dirt, rocks and flotsam picked up by the water scraping along my sides.

I was pulled for what felt like eternity, and all I had as company was the pain steadily growing in my head, until I closed my eyes against the pain. It made little difference in the darkness, but the pressure behind my eyes was agonizing. I barely recognized when the current slowed, and I drifted for a few seconds, before I felt myself sinking. Air bubbles drifted out of my open mouth, and I didn't want to open my eyes. The darkness was so inviting, that I just wanted to sleep, with the water so buoyant and soft… Light had sprouted behind my eyes, I could almost hear the ancestors calling me when something brushed my nose.

Putting all of my remaining energy into a single action, I opened my eyes to look up. The water was dark, just as it had been in the cave. A surreal light came from somewhere above me, but a shape was covering it, a shape that looked like a cat… Jaypaw's soft tabby fur barely registered, but when he reached down with his paws and pulled me up, I seemed to come back to myself. The pain came back full force and I writhed under the surface, following the grey apprentice up to the air again. I grasped his tail in my jaws, barely having the strength to pull myself up, until I was being both dragged and I was working myself to swim upward. He broke the surface first, and I followed shortly, gasping and coughing as soon as the air hit my face.

Water droplets fell into my eyes as I gazed around the surface of the lake. The dark gold head of Lionpaw was just a bit farther ahead. Hollypaw's black head was almost invisible if not for the starlight glancing off the water, outlining the contour of her head. The stars were just glimmering out of the cloud cover that resided after the rainstorm, bouncing off the lake and tipping each wave with white light. Breezepaw appeared with Swallowkit in his jaws.

I sucked in blissful, cold, sweet breathes of air, tipping my muzzle up as to not lose the surface again. I paddled wildly as the water tried to take me down again, and fought against it as coughs rattled up from my chest, shaking my whole body.

"Jaypaw!" I heard Hollypaw's voice clearly across the water. There was no other sound than the thundering of my heartbeat, the splashing of water and gasping of breath.

"We're okay!" I mewed, trying to keep the smug note out of my voice; It was almost easy when I started sputtering in the middle of my sentence. The black she-cat was already heading over to help Jaypaw, and instead I struck out for the land that I could see not far away.

"The shore's over there!" I could hear from behind me. It didn't matter as I struggled through the water toward Breezepaw, who was right by Lionpaw. The golden tom was splashing about wildly, and dove under before coming back up seconds later. His eyes fixed on me as he yowled a terrifying sentence. "Sedgekit's gone!"

Horror bolted through me and I didn't pause to think. The kits meant everything, and I sucked in a huge breath before letting the water pull me under again. It was dark, just like before; but instead of feeling the need to close my eyes, I scanned the shadows for the little shadow of Sedgekit. Soon I spotted him drifting in the water, much how I must have looked, with bubbles drifting upward from his mouth. I sunk down beside him and grasped the fur on his back carefully, and lifted him through the cold water. My lungs hurt, but nowhere near as badly as last time as I pulled both of us back up toward the light. Breaking the surface, I suddenly felt heavier as the true weight of Sedgekit pulled at my neck and teeth. The kit coughed quietly, and then began shivering and batting at the air, believing he was still underwater possibly.

Lionpaw popped up loudly beside me, ears flat and heavy with water. He grasped Sedgekit's tail, which wasn't helpful at all, and began following me toward the shore. I only glanced behind me once to check if Breezepaw was there, and I saw him splashing along with Swallowkit in his mouth. Hollypaw held Thistlekit, who had stopped struggling as the ThunderClan apprentice pressed forward toward shore with her brother following her closely behind.

Soon the round pebbles touched my pads instead of empty water, and I pulled myself a tail-length onto the ground before collapsing on my side. I hadn't noticed the burning in my legs until just then, and I coughed weakly as I let Sedgekit go. The little tom staggered a few steps before vomiting water up in weak spasms, his chest heaving while his fur stuck to the skin.

"We're all safe!" Hollypaw meowed quietly, and then lifted her head, looking at me with bright green eyes. "Are you two okay?"

Lionpaw grunted next to me, shaking out his fur, "Only _half_-drowned,"

I purred at the sarcasm, he sounded so much like Breezepaw that I turned to look for the dark apprentice that was licking the kit he had been carrying. My tail twitched and the water clinging to it splattered across Lionpaw's face. "We'd better get the kits back to camp."

I glanced around at the other cats, all equally drenched, though, sheltering in the shade cast by the glowing moon. The night had come down while we were inside the tunnels, bringing some cool temperatures with it. The kits shivered, even though Breezepaw was drying them rapidly with his tongue. A shiver of warmth passed through me, seeing the dark tomcat care about something that much. Normally he didn't show emotion, but the look in his face, a scared light but also desperation to help Thistlekit, Sedgekit and Swallowkit brought out a vulnerability in him I hadn't seen much before.

"Let's take them to Leafpool, It's nearer and we need to make sure they're okay." Hollypaw announced, staring into the darkness of the woods. My pelt bristled as I looked at the creeping shadows and unfamiliar shapes outlined in silver. But then I glanced back over the kits, where Sedgekit was still coughing, and a mouthful of water splashed across the ground again. The other two didn't look much better, and Breezepaw was out of earshot, or at least just not listening per usual. I harbored the feeling of hostility though and suspicion toward going to the ThunderClan camp, but my worry over the poor shape of the kits was quickly overdid it. "Holypaw's right," Jaypaw added, blue eyes looking at the kits as well.

Swallowkit got up and padded over to the apprentices, her eyes slit with anger and exhaustion. "_That_," she mewled indignantly, "Was the horriblest thing I ever did!" A drop of water rolled along the little cats back and she shook it off violently, fur fluffing out in the process.

"You wait til you taste Leafpool's medicine," It was obvious that Jaypaw wasn't joking by the strained look on his face. I could only imagine how many times Jaypaw had attempted to feed herbs to kits before, and unsuccessfully at that.

"Leafpool?" Breezepaw's yellow eyes were narrowed as he approached the group, the other two kits drudging behind him, barely able to stand on their own.

"The ThunderClan camp is closest," I said quickly, my own gaze meeting his. It was obvious that neither of us trusted the ThunderClan apprentices now. But a quick look at Sedgekit, where small beads of blood were beginning to form where she had been scraped and thrown around in the tunnel, was worrying.

"Okay," My Clanmate hedged, a last glance told me everything, _'Only stay as long as we must.'_

"Listen." Jaypaw mewled suddenly, and a complaint that the semi-comatose Thistlekit was about to make broke off. A screeching caterwaul carried across the wind, and my fur bristled with fear. That was the familiar cry of WindClan being called to battle! Onestar needed us! My paws itched to run to Crowfeather's side, where he would talk to me quietly until the moment of attack. He would point out the weakness in the ThunderClan line, point out the weaker apprentices to send running first, and convincing Whitetail to let Breezepaw and I stick together.

"It's coming from the forest border," The tabby apprentice continued.

"There's going to be a battle if we don't get back soon!" His dark sister stood at point, nose up and fire in her green eyes.

Lionpaw jumped to his paws, tail swaying back and forth in agitation. "We can show them the kits. If they know they're safe, there doesn't need to be a fight."

I drew Swallowkit towards me with my tail, and Breezepaw already had Sedgekit huddled between his paws, and Thistlekit leaning against his flank. "Are we going to the battle?" Swallowkit looked up at me with huge eyes, and I could clearly see the reflection of the moon in her amber orbs. "I can help fight!" Sedgekit mewed, roused by his sister's comments. He still looked unsteady, and Breezepaw barred his way when he tried to sink into a hunting spring, often used to catch the rabbits on the moor.

"This battle is because of you three, running off like that." Breezepaw muttered, chastising, to them. "A warrior doesn't need to go into battle to be brave, but to defend his family is the best he can do. You want to get back to Gorsetail, right? You all love her?" Three heads nodded an affirmative. "Then you must protect her. And in order to that, we have to get to the fight before any blood is shed." Breezepaw rumbled.

"Taking care of your Clan is the ultimate show of loyalty," I added. "You are all as brave as warriors, if only to stop this battle in time. And you can't tell your mother about this; or the rest of the Clan. They would go to war with ThunderClan again, and that would hurt many others." My voice dropped to a whisper, and all three kits looked up at me. I suddenly felt like I knew what it was like to be a queen, to foster the next generation on stories of brave cats that went into battle to do only what was right, and had the courage and love of the ancient cats. "You must not tell anyone what went on here, tonight. You understand why?" A hesitation, but all three nodded again. A smile slid across my muzzle and I licked each kit on the head. "You will all be great warriors, someday."

"Do you think you can make it?" Hollypaw was suddenly in my face, and I had to stop myself from flinching back. Her burning gaze travelled from me to Thistlekit, who, emboldened now, puffed up her chest. "Of course we can!"

Jaypaw padded over and scented each of the kits, pausing over Sedgekit's wounds. His blue eyes were confused, but he proclaimed firmly, "They need herbs, but it can wait a while."

"Walking will warm them up," I pointed out. Yes, walking _away _from these ThunderClan cats. Barkface would help the kits when they got back to camp, there was no need to spend more time here.

Hollypaw started up the shore, pebbles rolling away from her paws, followed closely by Breezepaw, who carried Sedgekit in his jaws because of her injuries. Jaypaw was next to his sister, and with a glance back at me, Lionpaw joined them. Swallowkit looked up at me again, her face bathed in moonlight. "Heatherpaw?" She squeaked,

"Yes dear?" I cast a glance over my shoulder at the lake.

"I don't like the water anymore. Or those cats that were down there."

My startled gaze flew back to Sedgekit. "You mean the ThunderClan apprentices? Swallowkit, you should be happy, without Jaypaw we couldn't-"

"No silly, the other cats, the big ones. One of them had blue eyes, like the sky." The little she-cat's face was squashed with confusion as she tried to describe the cats she had seen. "He was kinda misty, I couldn't see him well, but he had a white stomach… and the other one, he was _huge_! Almost bigger than Crowfeather!"

I shook my head, trying to block the idea that Hawk's Shadow and Tiger Strikes had visited the kits. Had they warned them too? I opened my mouth to ask Swallowkit when her next words made my blood run cold.

"They told us that there was a secret behind that rock. They helped us over, and told us to wait until they came back. Then… then the water started coming in and Thistlekit got all quiet. We couldn't get back over… It was so scary."

"Swallowkit, don't say such nonsense. There were no other cats in the tunnels. Come on, we have to get back to the Clan. To see your mother, remember?" I forced a note of happiness into my voice, and scooped up the kit, leaping after the other apprentices. Thoughts made my head spin, until one question surfaced. _Had Hawk's Shadow lured the kits into the Cave on purpose? If so… had he tried to kill them?_

**Lolz, cliff hanger for you guys :) The last chapter should be up either tonight or tomorrow, so keep watch for it ^^**


	11. Chapter 11

**Last Chapter! ;-; I'm so happy!**

Five moons later, I was awakened by a strange call on the moor. It was probably a moor hen, since it was mating season, and the eggs of the fat birds were plentiful. Stretching quietly, I picked my way around my Clanmates, who slept in mounds, some cats literally curled up almost on top of each other. It was nothing like a relationship of two mates, but just to conserve body heat. Puffs of crystallized breath hung like a fog over the Clan as Greenleaf came to a sudden end, bringing temperatures that the Clans hadn't seen since the mountains. Speaking of which, the news of Stormfur and Brook leaving the Clans to seek a home in the mountains had spread, and Crowfeather had gone to see the two cats. Though my mentor didn't ever show if he cared, he at least held his tongue around the tom-cat.

I nodded to the cat on guard, Antpelt, who was barely visible in the dark shadows of the half moon. "Heatherpaw? Where are you going?" He questioned, though the young warrior was obviously tired as well.

"Just out for a walk, Antpelt. Might chase a rabbit to get things off my mind. My dreams have been getting strange lately." I confessed, as my dreams and thoughts swirled into one inside my head. The tunnels had scarred me, and not only on my pelt, but in my head. Each night, I closed my eyes, but just found myself back in the cave. But the river swerved downward into a drop, too far for anything to survive and without a way to get out. Somehow, the cave filled with water. I was forced to swim, paddling until my fur grew so heavy and my legs tired that I sank back into the depths, swirled around in the underground darkness. Eventually I couldn't breathe; the rocks scraped my fur until I felt raw. Breezepaw had woke me up more than once, saying that I had been yowling in my sleep. Kestrelpaw had tried to talk to me about the dreams, but Breezepaw and I, like the kits, had sworn not to tell the Clan about the tunnels, if there was any chance that another rainstorm could unblock them. I didn't wish ThunderClan dead- that would be asking too much- but just for peace and a life free of Lionpaw. I could tell that my dreams had bothered the rest of the Clan as well, just by the looks they had given me. With Crowfeather away, I had a bit more time in the morning, as the dreams only seemed to happen at night. Whitetail had taken over my training though, but sometimes I preferred to train with my friend, Sunpaw, than dodge the glances that Breezepaw shot me. It was obvious that he didn't suffer from the same reverie of the events that took place that day.

Antpelt looked at me with pity, and I felt my fur bristle. I didn't need the pity of the warriors, I was almost one myself! Onestar had been impressed with how Breezepaw and I had brought back the kits, through ThunderClan territory on top of it, even if the ThunderClan apprentices had helped us. He shared our misgivings of how the other apprentices had known where they had been. "I won't be gone long. I don't need an escort to find my way around the hills." My voice was scathing, and even though I was younger than Antpelt, he nodded and let me go without a sound.

My tail snaked behind me as I prowled up the slope, past the spiny gorse bushes and into the stalks of my sweet-smelling namesake. Threading between the heather and wild grasses where it grew the tallest, I looked up at the fluffy heads of the plants with the stars just above them. Everything was cast in silver, though shadows were long at this time of night, just after moon-high. I crushed a small nest for myself in the midst of the plants and lay down, letting the thick, hazy scent penetrate the air that was cold with the promise of a coming frost. Closing my eyes, I tucked my tail around my nose and tried to fall asleep again, away from where I would disturb my Clanmates.

Crickets chirped in my ears, and a mouse crunched noisily on the seeds of a withered sage bush somewhere close by. Rolling onto my back did nothing to get rid of the noises that assaulted me, and eventually, after trying various sleeping positions, I gave up.

Rising to my paws seemed to take more energy than before, and I felt heavy and tired. The heather around me was darker now than before, the scent faded just to the wintery smell of dying plants and ice. Making my way forward, I ducked through the rest of the stems until the grasses grew shorter and the thickets grew farther apart. The hills were wide and murky as clouds passed over the moon, sending waves of silver in spotted patterns along the wide landscape. I sat quietly, ruffling my coat every few heartbeats to keep me warm when I heard the pawsteps.

"Antpelt, I told you that I didn't need your help-" I whipped around to catch the guilty tom with a hard glare when I had to look up. This wasn't the slight-framed Antpelt, but the dark tabby I had met in the tunnels all those moons ago. "Hawk's Shadow," I said dryly, before unsheathing my claws and leaping at the tom.

He seemed as real as me; fur, blood and bones as I rammed into him. My small stature did nothing for the frontal attack, and his broad shoulders took the blow easily while I bounced off but gained my footing easily again. The tom looked at me, somewhere between aggravated and humored. "Heatherpaw. I would've thought you'd be glad to see me." His voice was as cool as the wind that whipped across the hills.

Backing up a step to keep the area around us within my sight as well, I stared down the shadowy tabby. "I would have, if I hadn't gone home form the tunnels, and learned that Tigerstar haunts the dreams of cats. I heard Ashfoot talk to Barkface just a few days ago. Then, then the elders told me that he had a son, on with blue eyes that attempted on Firestar's life not long ago." I hadn't gone to the Gathering directly following Hawkfrost's murder, so I hadn't known about the attempt, and when the cats got back, I was asleep. It wasn't discussed openly in camp, but now I knew. "So which name do you rather go by," I hissed scornfully, dropped my chest to the ground in the imitation of a leap.

Hawk's Shadow- Hawkfrost- didn't even move, but instead a smile flickered across his muzzle. "You really think I'm the bad guy? I helped you get the kits back; I helped you prevent a _war._ This is how you want to repay me?" Tigerstar's son took a step forward, and the scent of rotten meat and smoke stunk on the wind.

"I don't really care what you did." I snarled, untouched by his attempts at convincing me. "Sedgekit told me what happened. You think that the kits forgot about you?"

For a moment his smile wavered, and behind it was a furious monster, murder glaring in his blue eyes. Then it was covered up again, and he prowled forward. I stood my ground in the crouch, turning to rack him. There was no way that he would take advantage of me again, he had tricked me once and I refused to be duped again.

"Weren't you the one who was talking about protecting your Clan, Heatherpaw? You can still do that, you know, you could be the best, even better than Breezepaw."

"What are you talking about?" I mewed, fur prickling as I sensed danger.

"Heatherpaw, you're a strong warrior, but Crowfeather doesn't know how to train you. He's already left you, and now you're falling behind in your duties, and there's so much potential in you." Hawkfrost drew his tail down my shoulder, and I straightened up resentfully. But it was true; if Hawkfrost could help me, I could make up for the time that Crowfeather was away.

"See? You consider it because it's true. Heatherpaw, you could be the best fighter, the best hunter, in the entire Clan. No kits would ever be lost again, your Clan would not fear invasion.

"We don't right now," I spoke angrily, proudly. WindClan was many, and prospering. I don't know why the other Clans always thought that we were the weakest of the four.

"I could train you. We could start now, if you'd like." I looked at him suspiciously. My mind screamed that he was an attempted murderer, that he was Tigerstar's son; but then again, so was Brambleclaw. And the queens always exaggerated their stories, maybe Hawkfrost wasn't that bad…? "You can't be tired anymore, can you?"

Hawkfrost's words were true, I didn't feel the same weights on my legs and fur, and energy roiled in me. "Yes…" I hesitantly mewed.

"So attack me," Hawkfrost said, taking a pace back. "Show me what Crowfeather has been showing you."

We trained on the hillside for most of the night, where the darkness was complete and the moon seemed to have disappeared. I didn't notice the murkiness of the border stream below, which reflected no stars, and the shadows that stretched from the swathes of heather being almost complete darkness. I was busily dodging jabs and paws, leaping and twisting away from Hawkfrost. I didn't understand the hostility I had shown toward the cat earlier, he was a patient teacher, showing me how to move my weight to be faster, to spin out of the way and use my small body to my advantage. I was feeling like the sun should be coming up soon, and stopped, panting quietly and looked for the sunrise. Even though I had had no sleep, there hadn't been a time that I had felt so alive.

"Good," Hawkfrost practically purred contentedly, and shook his ruffled pelt. He followed my confused gaze toward the sky, where there was not even a hint of sunrise, nor any of the other celestial bodies. "Don't worry; it hasn't been that long you've been here." He mewed decidedly.

"Here?" I glanced down the hill to the stream, and the forest beyond. There were no noises of prey, no wind, and barely any light. "Where am I?" This couldn't be StarClan, it was dark and dreary, making my pelt crawl. But Hawkfrost was dead, where else could he go?

"The Dark Forest," A new voice murmured, and I turned to see Tiger Strikes- Tigerstar- padding up the hill as well.

'Excuse me?" I asked, stunned. The voices that I had been repressing, of confusion and hostility reanimated again. Hawkfrost was _not _like Brambleclaw, he was working with his father.

"The place where the cats that don't go the StarClan go. Don't worry, Heatherpaw, you won't be harmed here. All we want to do is help you to become a better warrior."

My ears flattened. Hawkfrost, I may have had a doubt about him, but Tigerstar… he was a murderer. All the cats that had been killed in the Great Battle, the Battle of Sunningrocks… most of them were blood on his paws. I should've known better. I needed to get out.

Hawkfrost must have seen my distress as he shot angry glares at his father. He opened his mouth when he was cut off by Tigerstar.

"Are you going to teach her the same moves as Lionpaw?"

That was it. I bolted away, speeding through the bushes and running so fast that the stems flashed past in a blur. There was distant yowling in my head, it could have been Hawkfrost, but I continued running, until the darkness became complete and I couldn't feel the ground beneath my feet.

"Heatherpaw!" A voice said, and a pain in my side flared. I jumped to my paws, a snarl on my muzzle to find Breezepaw staring back at me. A quick glance from side to side and I saw that I was still in the nest I had made.

"Heatherpaw, are you okay? You looked so still, and there was blood…" Breezepaw's voice was slowly coming back down from the startled yowl that had woken me. My breathing calmed as well, and I looked around. "It must have been the heather. I slept for once." I managed a shaky laugh.

Inside I was angry, longing to score my claws across Hawkfrost's- even Lionpaw's- pelt. There was no way that I would work with murderers, especially if they were dead. What if they could control cats, send them dreams and ambitions, like StarClan did to the medicine cats? The cut that Hawkfrost had scored on my flank was as real as it had been in the dream. And if Lionpaw was with them, then it was for the best that we were apart now. It would stop me from ending him myself.

**So yea, thanks for reading 8D this is the second story I've complete (doesn't happen often) and I'm definitely not revisting this. I want to thank RinWolfeh, MidnightPandaHat, juliarchive, SilverWolf716, Author-Insomniac, and PurpleFlyingToasters for reviewing on this story, and anyone who followed this, though it must have slipped your mind more than once because of my extended... vacations ^^'. Thank you all, you've made writing This Fic a pleasure :)**


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